


Say It with Flowers

by AzureSummoner



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Dummies Get Together, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Idiots in Love, Loss of Virginity, Masturbation, Pining, Sex Pollen, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:27:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22812301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AzureSummoner/pseuds/AzureSummoner
Summary: Things go awry when Persephone creates a special flower for the Celebration of Eternal Bonding.
Relationships: Hades/Persephone, Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light
Comments: 24
Kudos: 192





	1. Persephone's Concept (EX)

**Author's Note:**

> This was written and tossed up here rather quickly. The idea had been bouncing around in my head all morning and I needed to get it out.

The Celebration of Eternal Bonding was an annual festival held in high esteem by the civilians of Amaurot, an occasion to honor the connection shared between bonded souls. Students of the Akadaemia were generally encouraged to present concepts during such times as a demonstration of creativity and aptitude for magics, and that was how Persephone came to be working late into the evening in one of the school’s open labs.

“Uwahh!!” 

She nearly dropped the pot in her hands when a pair of arms clamped around her waist, but the shuddering laugh at her back gave her assailant away nigh immediately.

“Hades!” she cried, shouldering her way out of the man’s grasp. “I’ve told you a thousand times not to sneak up on me!”

“You should pay more attention to your surroundings,” the taller figure chided, adjusting his white mask where it had been knocked loose. “Why are you here so late after classes?”

“I should ask you the same,” Persephone huffed, then held up the potted sproutling in her hands. “But since you’re here, I suppose I’ll let you see my newest concept.”

“Another plant? Why am I not surprised?” the man quipped, earning him an elbow to the ribs. 

“No plant by my design is just  _ another plant _ , Hades,” she scolded. He knew better, but he would always play the fool if only to get a rise out of her. 

“Well, let’s see what you’re going to do.”

Persephone set the pot down on a work table, flustering slightly as her companion came to hover over her shoulder. She could feel the warmth radiating off of him in this proximity in the cool air of the lab, a warmth that found its way to her cheeks under her mask. Well, neverminding that. She had work to finish if she was ever going to go home for the night.

“Watch yourself,” she warned, raising her hands about the sproutling. Persephone closed her eyes and focused, motes of water and earth-aspected aethers materializing from the air, absorbing into the plant and changing its shape. Hades watched next to her as it began to grow, upwards, then spread outwards into the shapes of magnificent flowers. The woman was quick to lean in to the bouquet, inhaling deeply of its scent.

“Oh, it smells lovely! Here, Hades.” And without giving the man a chance to decline she had already shoved the large, brilliantly pink blooms into his face. The flowers were an assault of pollen and an intoxicating fragrance reminiscent of gardenias. Hades turned his face into the arm of his robes and gave a violent sneeze. 

“Don’t just do that!” he sputtered, waving for Persephone to take the plant away. She flashed a sickeningly sweet smile and set the pot down on the table before shoving her nose back into the aromatic blossoms, with Hades silently cursing her natural affinity for the powdery irritant that lurked within. His brain was already beginning to fog, and before long he was certain to start with the scratchy throat and watery eyes. “So you have created a new flower for the annual Celebration of Eternal Bonding. Am I to understand that its’ purpose is to subdue the masses through fits of coughing and sneezing?”

Hades was joking of course, made obvious by the teasing grin plastered on his face. “Perhaps that will be my next concept. I shall find a way to cure your attitude,” Persephone sneered, reaching up to give the man’s cheek a light pinch. 

“Are you alright, Hades? You’re flushed,” she noted, her hand lingering at his face. “Come to think of it, it is rather warm in here, right?”

The man took her wrist to angle her hand away, but his hold remained. “ _ What _ is your concept?” he asked, puzzling at the slight strain in his voice.

“It’s a flower designed to enhance the feelings between bonded souls,” Persephone explained. Hades was quick to note the paling of her skin and the hitch in her breath. “The fragrance acts as an enhancer to stimulate the existing affections. It’s a beautiful way to remember what brought them together in the first place, wouldn’t you agree?”

On the note of ‘bringing things together’, Hades noticed that she was rather… close. She managed to slide her free hand halfway up his arm before he jerked himself upright, his eyes narrowing at the vibrant rosy blooms. He released Persephone’s wrist and with a quick flick of his hand, the plant unraveled in wisps of aether. 

“Hades, my concept!” she whined, grabbing the front of his robes as an excuse to press her body closer. This was bad. Even if Persephone were none the wiser, Hades recognized the familiar stirrings in his stomach. 

“What  _ exactly _ were you thinking of when you wove that thing into creation?” he asked, raising his hands to grip the woman’s shoulders and hold her at bay. 

“I was thinking about… the celebration, and the emotions that those bonded souls would experience… you were teasing me. Maybe my mind slipped....”  _ Damn it. _ Hades half-laughed at his error, but his breath was heavy and his mind was hazy, and she was twisting her hands into the front of his robes again.

“Oh, Persephone…” he groaned, and in a lapse of clarity he pulled her close as he leaned in to seal his lips to hers. Hades took full advantage of her soft moan of approval, slipping his tongue past her lips to taste traces of those saccharine candies that she was so fond of. How expected. He had dreamed of this moment for a long, long time. How soft she would feel in his arms, the sweetness of her kiss, the warmth of her body against him. Persephone’s hands unfurled from his robes as she slid her tongue against his, fingers trailing down the lean muscle of his back until they came to grip at the top of his ass. Her hip was pressed awkwardly into his stomach, and Hades could feel himself hardening beneath his robes. 

A low moan rumbled from his chest as Persephone pushed her thigh further into his growing stiffness, while at the same time she pulled him against her. By the Star, he was a hair’s breadth away from taking her to the floor and tearing her robes off. 

The sound of approaching voices sent a pang of cold awareness down his spine. Hades stilled, though panting heavily against her lips, and listened. There wouldn’t be many people left in the labs at this time of evening. Probably faculty. Wouldn’t it be just their luck for Old Man Lahabrea to waltz in and find them in such a predicament? Persephone was sweet, and well-liked (despite her penchant for mischief). Hades, on the other hand, had a bit of a reputation as a grump, and while he hadn’t  _ quite _ missed a lecture due to his over-fondness of sleeping, he had come dangerously close on more than one occasion. His stellar academic record would do well with a mark for ‘ _ indecently handling one of the co-eds after hours _ ’.

“Don’t interrupt…” Persephone muttered. She lifted her hand, and with a flick of magic Hades heard the door lock turn. Whoever was patrolling the halls had heard it as well, for now they were narrowing in on the room that they currently occupied. The man squeezed his eyes shut and debated banging his forehead into Persephone’s for such a blunder. Lust, Hades thought, was such a terrible, destructive force of nature. And often it made a person act  _ foolishly _ , no matter how endearing they were. The window to the lab was mercifully frosted, but someone was trying the lock. They couldn’t stay any longer.

“My place, or yours?” Hades whispered into Persephone’s ear. When she hesitated, he merely shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

He caught her around the waist when she stumbled, the scene around them shifting from the Akadaemia to Hades’ personal apartment. Not as smooth of a transition as he had expected.  _ Need to work on that _ , he thought. He might have gloated about their would-be betrayer stumbling in to find an empty room, but the time for rational thinking had sailed out the window the moment he set foot on his own carpeted floor. Persephone didn’t miss a beat. Her long nails grazed his cheek as she scrabbled to tear his white mask away, carelessly flinging it (along with her own) onto the nearby sofa. She pushed his hood away and raked her fingers up into his ear-length white hair, pulling him down again to reclaim his lips. 

_ Did she want this just as badly? _ Hades’ pulse fluttered at the very idea, driving his desire ever higher while he grabbed at her skirts, lifting the hem of her robes to her waist. His large hands dove under the black fabric to slide up her thighs, drawing the skirt she wore underneath up to her hips. She was every bit as soft and warm as he had imagined, pliable and welcoming to his touch. Why hadn’t he moved on her sooner? Why had he stupidly stood by while other men sought her friendship? No, it wasn’t her  _ friendship _ that they wanted. Hades’ blood ran hot at the thought of anyone else wanting after Persephone, and subconsciously he dug his fingertips into the flesh of her hips. He wouldn’t let them. He wouldn’t lose her, not after tonight. He would win her over as he had fantasized about a hundred thousand times before. He  _ had _ to. 

She pushed him away and his eyes went wide at the rejection, until she began grabbing at her own robes to pull them over her head. He didn’t see where she threw them, she was just as eager to shed him of his when she had finished. His vision blacked out as the material caught around his shoulders, but he shrugged free in time to catch Persephone laying open palms against the front of his thighs, tearing a moan from him as she dragged her hands much too close to his pulsing center. Hades was burning out of control as she teased him, stroking all too slowly over the flat of his stomach as she palmed her way up his chest. He wrapped his hands around her back to steady her as he bodily pressed against her, forcing her to lean back against his hold as he tilted his head to nip at her neck. 

“Ah, Hades…” she sighed, rubbing her hands along his shoulders. His name sounded so sweet coming from her lips. Oh, how he wanted to hear her say it again, and again. She began to murmur at him as he worried over a spot at the hollow of her throat. “You’re so beautiful. You’ve always been beautiful.”

He forcefully exhaled the air in his lungs at the shock of her admission, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t string two words together.  _ You fool, say -something-! _ He tried. At first he choked, followed by incoherent babbling while he mentally called himself every slander he could think of. He tried again and it was better, a bit soft, but the more he spoke the brighter his conviction shone.

“By the Star, Persephone… I’ve wanted you for so long.” His words rang in her ears, and at first she wasn’t sure if she had heard him quite right. He  _ shuddered _ when she leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“Show me.” 

Hades would have shattered into a million little pieces on the floor, but she held him steady by the hand. She was pulling him along, guiding him toward the back of his own apartment. There was a much different sway in her hips than usual and her long, messy brown hair bounced in time with her steps as she hurried him along. With his free hand he fumbled at the buttons of his shirt, desperate for air, desperate for something to occupy his lust-fogged mind as Persephone dragged him further into temptation. 

Before she could open the door he had spun her around and pressed her back up against it, practically lifting her off the floor from the press of his body against hers. He moaned into her mouth as she loosened his belt, stroking his hardness while struggling with the fastening of his pants. He pushed his tongue against hers as his hands found her breasts, palming the softness of her through her blouse, her stiffened nipples pressing against him through the thin fabric. She broke the kiss and was murmuring again as Hades kissed along her jaw, nipped at her earlobe. Her fingers tangled into his hair as she held him against her, words like fire in his core.

“Oh, Hades… I never thought you wanted me like this…”

His lips slid along her neck, certain to leave a mark.

“I only… I only dreamed of…”

A thumb rolled over her nipple, teasing a gasp from her as she steadily gripped him through his pants.

“I’m so glad it’s you, Hades… I’m so glad you’re my first.”

He stopped. Everything stopped. Everything crashed down around him in one cold, icy, sobering moment as those words repeated themselves over and over again in his mind. Her first. Her  _ first _ . His thoughts raced as he hovered over her, panting at her shoulder. She’d had boyfriends in the past. Well, she’d had at least  _ one _ that he could remember -- he’d hated the man, naturally, but… 

“Wh-why did you stop?” she asked, a slight quiver in her voice. “Hades, please don’t…”

“...I can’t…” he groaned. His hair dragged along her shoulder as he shook his head. “I can’t, ‘Seph.”

What had he been  _ thinking _ ? Well, there had been no thinking involved. He may have been drugged, but was he really going to take advantage of her while they were both lost in some sex-crazed state of mind? Persephone was gripping his shirt and pleading with him not to stop, but he couldn’t. His body was urging him to ravish her, he could have her tonight after wanting for so very long, but what would it cost him in the end? He exhaled, slow and unsteady, and tightened his hands into fists so hard that his nails threatened to tear the skin of his palms. 

“Hades?” All of that confidence she had displayed a moment earlier had bled out of her. What was he to do? Whatever that cursed  _ pollen _ had done, it wasn’t out of his system yet. He could relapse. He still lusted for her despite his moment of clarity. If she kept begging him like this, what would he do?

Hades cautiously backed away from the door, pulling Persephone along with him. She would never make it home in this state. It was too dangerous to let her go anywhere else, even if it was dangerous to remain with him. 

“Persephone, listen to me,” he said as evenly as he could manage, his hands coming to grip her shoulders. “That flower… you created some kind of aphrodisiac, and it’s driving us both mad. You’re not in your right mind.”

He winced at the sting of rejection that crossed her face. He hated it. Oh, how he hated it! Doing the right thing was seldom easy, but this  _ hurt _ . 

“Do you want me to leave?” Hades wanted to hold her. If she kept on with that wounded tone of voice, he was going to lose it again. He would only end up providing the type of  _ comfort _ that they would both regret later.

“No. You’re not leaving. Not tonight. You’ll be safe here.” He considered that for a moment, and added, “I promise.”

He had never lied to her. He wouldn’t begin now.

Hades reached behind her to pull open the door to his room. He could make this work. If they could last until morning they should be fine, or so he believed. If he woke up still in a craze, then… he supposed he would be forced to seek help. Professor Lahabrea would still find out about this somehow and Hades would die of embarrassment, but he would do whatever needed to be done. So long as Persephone was safe.

“Go ahead,” he said, ushering her into the room. She eyed him for a moment but easily relented. She could be upset with him later. No sooner had she cleared the doorway than he had yanked it shut, sealing the lock with a bit of his own magic. She would be hard-pressed to unlock herself from the other side of the door.

“Hades!” she yelled. Persephone was already banging against the door, and he sighed. She could have a bit of a temper at times. Evidently, sex stimulants did nothing to dampen that.

“Go to sleep, Persephone. You’ll feel better tomorrow.” He hoped. She was still yelling at him through the door but at least the neighbors wouldn’t hear it to complain. Hades had long ago added his own personal touches to the living space, adequate sound-proofing being one of his first ‘upgrades’. He was halfway to the sofa when he realized that all of his bed clothing was in his room. Whatever. He could sleep in what he was wearing.

Hades cleaned up their stray masks and robes, tossing them onto an empty chair. He puttered about the living area for a time but gradually worked his way to the sofa, flopping onto his stomach only to regret it. He still ached something terribly. He rolled onto his side and lay like that for some time. At some point Persephone had settled down. Hopefully she had listened and gone to sleep. That still left Hades with a  _ problem _ , and the longer he lay there, the increasingly evident it was that he would never get any rest if he didn’t… do something about it. 

Grudgingly he dragged himself off of the sofa and stumbled into the washroom, which unfortunately shared an adjacent wall with his bedroom. He cursed himself for his weakness. If he wasn’t quiet… if she found out about this… he would wither and die. Hades rubbed his forehead and silently asked for forgiveness for the sin he was about to commit, as he loosened the fastenings at the front of his pants and pushed them down his narrow hips. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, taken aback by the dark circles forming under his eyes. Hopefully this would…  _ take care _ of things, and he could manage some sleep.

Warmth flared in his cheeks as he slid his clothing further down, taking his freed erection in hand. He sighed at the relief after chafing against his pants for the last however many minutes had passed since that damnable pollen took him. He opened the cabinet on the wall and sorted through a small number of bottles before finding a lotion that was certain to be gentle. He rolled his eyes at himself for the thought. Taking a dollop and rubbing it between his hands to warm it, he gripped his shaft in earnest and hissed at the smooth glide of his thumb along the top, stroking up to rub along the edge of his tip while he exhaled a long breath through his teeth.

He could manage this. Hades leaned over the sink and braced himself with his free hand as he rocked his hips into his own grip, trying to stir up some fantasy to speed things along. An old flame? Well, he had dated on and off, yes, but nothing that had ever lasted for long, usually due to a lack of enthusiasm on his own part. They had been attractive, but there was no  _ connection _ . No matter what he tried, his mind’s eye kept coming full circle to the woman sleeping in his bed. Hades flushed with shame to think of how many times he’d jerked himself to fantasies of Persephone, and that had been when she  _ wasn’t _ sleeping over. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and recoiled.  _ Pathetic _ . 

But, kissing her had been every bit as sweet as he had imagined. He bit his lower lip to stifle a groan as he recalled the warmth of her mouth and the feeling of her soft breasts under his hands. How she had wanted him, and oh if he could pretend just for tonight that she really  _ did _ want him. To hear his name spill from her lips while she lay beneath him, her hair fanned out on his pillows…

“Hades…” 

His eyes flew open and he stilled, feeling a cold sweat at the back of his neck. Oh no. Did he give himself away while wrapped up in his illusions? Had she heard him? He heard it again, barely louder than the first time, and a heat crept up from his neck to the tips of his ears as he realized that Persephone was… 

He ground his teeth together and stroked his cock with a firm grip as her moans reached his ears, tightening his grip on the sink when she called his name. Squeezing his eyes shut he dipped his head, imagining her laid out on his bed with her hand between wide-spread thighs while pumping her fingers in and out of herself and crying out for him. A shuddering gasp left him involuntarily and he feared that she would hear, but in this state of heightened lust he had reached a point beyond caring. 

She’ll hate him for this. She’ll be absolutely disgusted with him, and she’ll never want to speak to him again. He’ll be devastated when she reveals this, of course, but he’ll find some way to go on living. Another cog in the system, all for the greater good. If this is the price he has to pay to keep her safe, he’ll find some way to manage the fallout.

In the bedroom Persephone nearly screamed, and with a strangled moan Hades spilled into his hand. His hips stuttered as he rode out his high, opened mouth gasping for air. His face was burning and his shirt clung to him with sweat, but it was the first bit of relief he felt in at least an hour. Things would be alright until the morning. He could sleep this off. He ran his clean hand over his face and found himself in the mirror once more. Hades was disgusted by what he saw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are a writer and/or enjoy FFXIV fics, come join a very friendly and enabling group: https://discord.gg/ftFnYbe
> 
> Find me on Twitter: @AzureSummoner


	2. Concept Realized (EX)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades and Persephone deal with the lingering effects of the pollen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note the updated tags. This is... about twice as long as a normal chapter from me. Enjoy!

Hades awoke with a groan and lifted his bleary eyes to a clock on the wall, blinking until the numbers came into focus. Three AM. He'd slept very little and his eyes felt dry and sandy. His head seemed clearer, but as he became more roused he could already feel a dull ache starting again in his loins. Hades banged his head against the arm of the sofa and huffed in frustration. He had expected the intoxicating effects of the flower to wear off by now. It had been several hours, and he had seen to his… urges. It seemed that fate was determined to drag him through the mud before this was over. 

There was a knock at the door. He froze, briefly, knowing that even _Hythlodaeus_ wouldn't come calling at such an unseemly hour. No. He heard it again, coming from the bedroom door. Well, now he knew what had woken him up. 

"Hades?" Persephone's voice was thin and slightly hoarse -- _no wonder, the way she screamed for you_ \-- Hades bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to draw blood. "Are you awake?"

He sat up and rubbed his hands over his face, digging the heels of his palms into his eyelids. He really wasn't ready to face her, but he couldn't ignore her either. Hades got to his feet and trudged to the bedroom door, leaning into it with his shoulder. "I'm here. Are you alright?"

He strained to listen when she didn't answer right away, but her soft breaths were still audible on the other side of the door. After what had happened Hades could guess that she was probably as mortified as he was. 

"I think… I think I've figured out what went wrong," she said after a moment. Her voice was coming from below -- she must have slumped to the floor. Hades closed his eyes and turned to rest his back against the door, sliding to sit on the carpet himself. 

"I'm listening." An awkward pause followed. 

"Could we… not talk through the door about this?" she asked, and Hades felt his stomach -- no, that wasn't his stomach -- clench. 

"Persephone I don't… I don't think that's the best idea right--"

"Damn it, Hades, I'm not going to say this through a wall!" she growled. The man winced at the bite in her tone. It wasn't thick with lust as it had been earlier, and if her irritation was any indication then she had enough of her wits about her. For the moment, at any rate. Hades rubbed a hand over his face. Removing his enchantment and letting her out would be taking a risk. If things got… _out of control_ , he couldn’t just lock her up again. She wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice. But if he didn’t let her out, she would never trust him again. What was he supposed to do?

“Hades! Answer me!”

Tch. He could tell her the truth, he decided. 

"Yes, I'm here! I…" He swallowed the lump in his throat and took a breath to steady his nerves. "Persephone, if I let you out… if I lose control…"

"Open the door, Hades." Her tone was resolute, affording no room for argument. Slowly exhaling all of the air in his lungs, Hades unsteadily climbed to his feet. He willed the Star itself to help him as he expelled his sealing magic and closed trembling -- _stop that!_ \-- fingers around the door handle, turning and giving it a push. It wouldn't budge. 

"Persephone…" he laughed nervously. "You do have to move."

"Oh! Right…" The sounds of her shuffling around could be heard before Hades felt the knob in his hand twist, and it was violently ripped from his hold as Persephone yanked the door wide open. Her hair was disheveled and Hades had to fight down the urge to reach out and straighten her shirt. Ah, just _looking_ at her was stirring the pangs of desire once more. This was a bad idea, why had he let her talk him into this?

"Calm down, Hades," she commanded, taking him by the upper arms and giving him a shake. "You don't scare me."

Perhaps not, but he didn't miss the blush across her cheeks as she laid hands on him. He stumbled back a step to create some space, his mind scrambling for some mundane thing to latch onto as he flexed his empty hands. "Coffee?"

"What?" Well, he'd managed to catch her off guard. Briefly. "N-no, that's not a good idea. Not while you're still…"

She looked him up and down. Her eyes lingered too long at the exposed skin of his oblique, following the slight tuck of muscle at his inner hip that lead down to… Hades blushed and fumbled to find the buttons of his open shirt, which was enough to stir the woman from her daze. 

"D-don't worry about that," she insisted, pushing past him to lead the way to the living area. "Come on, I need to say this while I can."

Persephone unceremoniously flopped down on one end of the sofa, and while Hades was sorely tempted to take the seat beside her he forced himself to the opposite end. How awkward. 

"You've figured things out?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck. His golden eyes settled on her. She was wringing the hem of her shirt between her hands and staring at the floor.

"So… maybe I was thinking of something else when I used my creation magic," she sighed, gnawing at her lower lip. Hades licked his own lips at the sight, wincing later at his actions. 

"Let's make this quick?" he prodded, trying his best at a gentle tone, but he couldn't help the thickness of his voice. Persephone seemed to take the hint either way. 

"Hades, I thought…" She was really squirming now. "I thought that… um, when you grabbed me I know you were playing around but… I wondered what it would be like if you _really_ wanted to hold me."

His mouth ran dry, even as his cock twitched in his pants. "Is… that all?" he asked, hesitantly. 

"N… no. You were standing so close and you were warm and you smelled nice and I was imagining what it would be like to… to…" Her voice was wavering terribly, Hades wondered if she would be able to finish when she finally spit out, "to be your girlfriend!"

Warmth flared in his face and his loins and he was forced to cover his stupid grin of realization with a hand, lest she notice. Oh, his sweet Persephone could play as coy as she wanted, he knew now what had gone so terribly wrong. She wasn't thinking about _being his girlfriend_ , not the way her concept turned out. She had been thinking about what it would be like for him to throw her down on the table and have his way with her. His Persephone had tried to weave a creation spell while having sexual fantasies about _him_ . Someone, help! Hades was mashing his palm against his mouth in a struggle to stop his widening smile, Persephone had really thought of _him_ in such a manner! 

"You realize what this means, 'Seph?" Hades slid his gaze back to hers, watery blue and uncertain. 

"What?" she whispered.

"I… don't believe that we can remain as 'friends' after tonight," he stated. The mask of severity that Persephone knew so well had returned to his face, and she crumbled beneath it. Hades held his resolve, unflinching. 

"O-oh," she whimpered, tightening her fingers into the fabric of her skirt. She looked so wounded and vulnerable and it was appealing to all of the wrong instincts in Hades' being. There was no turning back now.

"That is… I’m going to make you _mine_ , Persephone. But do not mistake this for a mere _fling_. Once you’re mine, I will do everything in my power to keep you. Do you understand?"

Her eyes locked on his, and there was no mistaking the predatory lust there. Persephone's chest heaved with a deep breath as Hades prowled towards her, his long arms coming to encircle and trap her against the arm of the sofa.

"H-Hades I thought… that you only saw me as a sister," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. 

"Oh, my dear Persephone. I would be shunned from society for doing to a _sister_ the things I intend to do to you."

She was leaning into him now, her hands on his shoulders, desperate for something to anchor herself. "Persephone, if you don't want this I need you to… to lock me out," he murmured, even as his lips brushed over hers.

"It's OK, Hades…" she whispered back. "I trust you. I _want_ you. I just… never thought you wanted _me_."

That gave him pause. "I… you have _no idea_ how long I've wanted you. I thought I made it obvious?" Persephone sat back and fixed him with an exasperated look. 

"I'm not a mind reader!" she cried. "All of those little touches and… the way you were always nicer to me than anyone else and…"

"Yes! Everything, yes!" he stammered back, the spell of lust momentarily broken. "I just… thought you didn't want _me_!"

"Well aren't we a pair of idiots…" she sighed. She stroked the fine hairs along the back of his neck, half-lidding her eyes at him. 

"... Are you really sure about this? We only just kissed for the first time tonight..." He was unable to disguise his nervousness. If there was any chance that he was wrong…

"I won't beg, Hades," she frowned, but he could tell when she was pulling him along. She'd always known how to pluck his strings. 

"... Don't complain when I take my time." He captured her mouth with his before she could, letting his eyelids drift shut to focus on the sensation of kissing her. She was so welcoming and responsive to his touch, running her fingers through his hair, down his back, along his hips. Her breath was soft and sweet, though (thankfully) she didn’t taste of sugar any longer. Hades was distantly aware of Persephone trying to shift herself below him, her arms circled around his back to pull him down. He made some noise of disagreement and broke the kiss, drawing back enough to have a good look at her.

“No. Not like this,” he murmured. She blinked in confusion when he sat back, and watched him as he rose from the sofa. To her credit though, she didn’t protest when he slid his arms beneath her to lift her up, instead circling her own around his neck. “You deserve better than what I can give you, but I’ll do this as right as I can.”

He couldn’t discern the emotion that flickered across her face, but she buried her head against his neck and tightened her grip on him. “Don’t say that. I just want _you_ , Hades.”

He laughed. He laughed so hard that he shook, enough that Persephone loosened her hold around him and leaned back to look into his face. Confusion furrowed her brows as she studied him. There were tears threatening to spill from his eyes. “What’s the matter with you?” she asked, gently brushing the liquid away with her thumbs.

“I’m… happy,” Hades said, smiling. She wasn’t sure that she had ever seen him appear so… joyful. He laid his forehead against hers and stole a chaste kiss before gazing into her eyes, gold meeting sapphire blue. “I’m really happy. And terribly aroused. But happy.” 

Persephone felt the corners of her mouth twitch into a mischievous smirk. “We should do something about that, then.” She cradled his face between her hands and leaned in to kiss him again, sucking at his lower lip when she withdrew to trail kisses along his jaw as he carried her away to the bedroom. Hades was at the door when she suddenly went still and stiffened in his arms. Oh. Maybe… maybe she was having second thoughts after all…

“Um, Hades…” she spoke, barely audible. She was digging her face into his neck to hide herself, whatever was the matter?

“What’s wrong?” he asked, nervousness returning. He could… he could still stop if she asked. He still had enough presence of mind to--

“I… I um…” He could practically feel the heat radiating off of her skin where she was pressed against him. “I… I might have made a mess of your sheets.”

There was a pause, and Hades burst out laughing in stupid glee as he realized what she was saying. Poor Persephone, so ravaged with lust -- lust for _him_! -- that she had rolled around in his bed while… while dripping wet and... 

“What’s with that dumb look on your face?” she muttered after a moment, and Hades flashed her a wicked, wicked grin. 

“I’m going to have _so much fun_ with you, ‘Seph.” He cackled with delight as he carried her into the room, ignoring the squeal she made when he dropped her onto the bed. Hades didn’t give the rumpled sheets a second look before diving in after her, laughing as he kneeled over her body and laced his fingers through hers. She was giving him a flustered look, so Hades tilted his head down to kiss it away. Exhilaration burned through his veins as she closed her fingers around his hands and leaned into his touch, returning his affections with equal ardor. If this were a dream he hoped that he might never wake. After years of watching and wishing and _longing_ , Persephone would now be _his_. It was every fantasy come true, it was all that he ever wanted and… Hades suddenly grew light-headed. He faltered and, had Persephone not caught him around the shoulders to steady him, he probably would have fallen over.

“Hades, are you alright?” Her concern was palpable. “What happened?”

This was rather embarrassing. “I… I’m alright. I suppose I was getting carried away,” he admitted with a sheepish grin. Persephone narrowed her eyes at him.

“...Not enough blood left in your _brain_ to function, hmm?” she taunted. “I swear, you can be a real dummy at times.”

“It’s your fault. You make me this way,” he laughed, drawing a steady breath to clear his head. Her expression softened to a fondness that spoke of happiness and comfort and… Hades dared to hope, was it love? Warmth bloomed in his chest from the way she looked at him, and as his sudden vertigo leveled out he found her hands once more. “Let’s take it slow, shall we?” 

Persephone smiled against his lips when he kissed her once more, but soon she was tugging at the collar of his shirt, urging him to _move on_ . He would roll his eyes if he could, he had _told her_ that he wouldn’t be rushed. Not tonight. “So impatient,” he whispered, and carefully lowered his weight to lay beside her on the mattress, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her close. Hades nudged her knees apart to twine his legs through hers and settled in, rubbing his hand along her back as he explored her mouth. She moaned against him when her thigh brushed against his hardness, and before long she was fidgeting again, searching for something to do with her hands.

“Hades, let me…” She was pushing against his shoulders, forcing some space between them. “I want to… can I touch you?”

“Persephone, you’re _already_ touching me,” he teased, which earned him a swat. A swat that caught him across a sensitive nipple. He winced and rubbed at the sore skin, earning an embarrassed apology from his companion. “Alright, you’ve made your point. We’ll compromise. What do you want to do?” 

She blushed and grinned in equal measure, prompting Hades to arch a brow. Oh, feeling daring, was she? He supposed he would see where this led. “I’ve ah… never touched a man like this before,” she admitted a bit shyly. “I want to explore.”

“So I’m a conquest now?” Hades chuckled, but inwardly he was thrilled at her enthusiasm. She really wanted to be here with him and he was going to melt into a puddle. Persephone was pushing him down onto his back but she paused at that, hovering above him.

“I mean, if it’s alright?” she asked, biting her lip. 

“We’ll need to work on your assertiveness,” he smirked, reaching up to stroke his thumb along the line of her chin. “Please, my dear. Explore to your heart’s content,” he relented, and let himself relax against the sheets.

Hades was beautiful, reclined on his elbows with his shirt opened to expose the lean muscle of his chest and stomach. He watched through half-lidded eyes as Persephone pressed herself against his side and tilted her head toward his, their lips meeting soft and steady as she trailed a hand along his abdomen and nervously downward, past his navel, to palm over the firm bulge in his smallclothes. Hades sighed into her mouth as she stroked her fingers over his hardness, moaning when she slipped her hand under his clothes, deftly unfastening the front and tugging them down his hips to release his erection. 

She glanced downward and Hades choked back a smug giggle as her eyes widened. Sweet thing that she was, he would rob her of any lingering innocence tonight. “Um… it’s bigger than I--wipe that grin off your face, you look ridiculous.”

He snorted at that. Persephone always had been quick to recover from the initial shock of something new and unexpected. She brushed her fingers against him, hesitantly. It seemed she was uncertain of how to proceed, so Hades decided to give her a little encouragement.

“As long as you don’t try to twist it off, you won’t hurt me,” he joked, bumping his nose against her cheek. She appeared to consider this for a moment before inclining her head toward him. 

“Tell me if you don’t like it?” Persephone murmured against his lips, tentatively circling her slender fingers around his length. She could probably _squeeze_ him at this point and he’d enjoy it, as long as she didn’t stop touching him. So sweet and uncertain but willing to try, she stroked him with a light grip but soon paused, frowning. “Something doesn’t seem right about this.”

Hades tilted his head back with a light laugh, but not for finding any comedy in the situation. Although _she_ might if he reached into the nightstand for the bottle of lotion he kept handy. Perhaps he wouldn’t admit to that, not yet at least. “Here,” he offered, rolling onto his side to take her by the wrist. Persephone blinked at the thin sheen of oil that now coated her hand, but made a little ‘o’ with her mouth as understanding dawned on her, and she flushed sheepishly.

“Oh. Sorry.” Hades showed her a charmingly boyish grin as he took her smaller hand in his and guided her back to his cock.

“Let me show you,” he said softly, leading her to wrap her fingers around him once more, his hand encompassing hers. Hades showed her how to grip him, pumping her hand up and down his shaft, brushing her thumb over the slit at his tip, the oily substance slippery between their joined fingers. When Persephone had learned his rhythm he took his hand away, moaning softly under her ministrations. “Ah… just like… like that,” he sighed, leaning in to steal her lips again.

Her stomach flexed against Hades’ fingers when he slid his hand beneath her shirt, gliding up along her ribs to the swell of her breasts. "You're not wearing a bra," he murmured with a smirk, tracing his thumb around a puckered nipple. 

"Mmm… it was bothering me," she grumbled, sucking at his bottom lip. "That feels nice, Hades…"

They traded soft noises of pleasure as Persephone continued to stroke him while Hades cupped the fullness of her breast, massaging the delicate skin before shifting his touch to the other side. He might have been fulfilled by the duality of her tongue sliding against his and her steady grip stroking his ecstasy ever higher, but her little breaths were driving him to take her in earnest. 

Hades edged ever closer to her body, leaning his weight onto the arm beneath him as he removed his hand from beneath her shirt, drawing some satisfaction from her whine of protest. He snaked his now freed hand up Persephone’s thigh to settle under her skirt. She made some muffled squeak and tried to nudge her thighs together until he cupped her sex, stroking a finger along her slit through the wet smallclothes at her center. Her grip on him wavered and he seized on the opportunity to grab her wrist, rolling her onto her back in a smooth motion while he moved to lean over her. She cried out in surprise and he pressed his mouth against hers, swallowing her muffled noises while his touch returned between her legs. His long fingers prodded at the entrance to her slick, barely protected by the thin slip of cloth, while his thumb teased the nub at her apex and pulled a wanton moan out of her. 

Persephone twisted her fingers around his wrist, her other hand clutching at his shoulder, but her actions lacked conviction. 

“Don’t be embarrassed, my darling," he chuckled, low and dark. "We’ll do far more scandalous things before this night is over.”

Hades thrilled at the way her eyes widened and tried to focus on his, but she gave up and rolled her head against the pillows as he teased her clit. She had gone practically limp under his touch, and he intended to take full advantage. With little warning he snagged his fingers beneath the hem of her smallclothes and tugged them down to her knees, delighting in the shocked gasp that was torn from her throat. 

“What are you--” she began to ask, but quickly silenced herself and swallowed thickly as he flashed her a devilish grin. Hades raised his fingers to his lips, damp with her desire, and sucked them into his mouth in a lewd display. Her cheeks tinted dark pink as he slavered over the digits between his lips, saliva trailing from his tongue to his fingertips when he opened his mouth to release them. “Um… Hades…”

He cast a disdainful look at her smallclothes before pulling them the rest of the way off, tossing them to who knew where in his carelessness. His eyes promised sin as he dipped his fingers into her entrance, dripping wet between their mingled fluids. He shifted to sit upright and moved her thighs apart, giving himself space to settle between them as he pushed his fingers deeper. Persephone covered her mouth to hold in a squeal, but that simply wouldn’t do. Hades crooked his fingers in a ‘come hither’ motion against the top of her inner walls, causing her to squirm. She reflexively tried to close her legs, an impossible feat given the man between them. 

“Did I not tell you to stay your embarrassment, my sweet?” he crooned, sliding his fingers in and out of her slick. Last night had proven that she was no stranger to… well, _this_ , but her reactions suggested that no other had ever touched his dear Persephone in such a manner. _And no one else ever will_ , Hades thought smugly to himself.

For all of her feigned resistance, it didn’t take long to reduce her to a quivering mess under his ministrations. Between the pump of his fingers and the way he thumbed her clit, she was unravelling quickly. Not just yet. Persephone was too late to stop the frustrated noise coming from her own mouth when Hades withdrew his fingers, but her senses returned to some extent as he lowered himself between her knees.

“Ah, Hades… what are you doing?” she asked, her voice wavering slightly.

“I believe it’s fairly obvious,” he retorted with a smirk, until she began to shake her head furiously at him. 

“A-Ahh, don’t do that!” she pleaded, much to his dismay. “I… I don’t want to. Don’t pout at me, I said ‘no’!”

“Whatever you wish, Persephone,” he sighed, but he hadn’t lost his determination to push her to her first release of the night. Recovering swiftly, he plunged his fingers back into her dripping entrance and resumed his attentions before she could protest further, easily subduing her again. Before long she was flexing her thighs around him and gripping at the bedsheets, trying to hide her face in the pillows to muffle her pleasured moans. 

“Oh, don’t try to fight it,” he coaxed, his movements becoming more deliberate. “Let me see you come undone.”

He pressed against her clit and that was all it took to drive Persephone to her peak, her mouth opening wide as she squinted her eyes shut and wailed out with her release. Hades leered at the way she bucked against his hand, her fluids wet and glistening between her thighs as she panted out soft breaths.

“You’re ready,” he decided, but the expression in his eyes suggested otherwise. There were still too many clothes between them, and Hades simply couldn’t be bothered to go through the trouble of undressing them both. He shrugged, smirked, and raised his hand in a familiar gesture.

“Hades, what are you--” This seemed to be a common question from Persephone’s lips this evening. He _snapped_ and her eyes went wide as their clothing easily disappeared in wisps of aether, leaving them both stark naked. Impressively, she didn’t attempt to hide herself from his view. Not as if he hadn’t already seen the most _tantalizing_ parts, anyway. She fixed him with a sober look, before slipping on her mask of determination. “Are you going to…” He nodded.

“This… may be uncomfortable since you’re not used to it.” He swept up her right hand in his left, lifting it to press his lips against her knuckles. “I’ll be as gentle as I can, but tell me to stop if it’s too much.”

Persephone’s gaze was trusting and unwavering as she twisted her hand to lace her fingers through his. “It’s alright. I’m ready.” Hades watched her a moment for any signs of hesitation, but found none. Even though it was _her_ first time, not _his_ , he felt as though he were the more nervous between them.

“...Ok. Try to relax,” he murmured, leaning down to press a soft kiss against her lips. He stroked his thumb along the back of her hand where they were twined together, while taking himself in his free hand. Hades puffed out a small breath as he parted her folds with his tip, pressing gently into her entrance. “Just breathe.”

Her fingers tightened around his hand as he pushed in, and though she parted her lips all that came out was a small gasp. “Ah… Ha… Hades…” she panted softly, her hand trembling slightly in his. “You’re… you’re inside me.”

He blinked and tried to fight back the grin that insisted on spreading across his face. “That’s… just the tip, ‘Seph.” He bit his tongue to stop himself from laughing at the way her eyes widened.

“O-oh…” _Now_ she appeared to be at least a little nervous, and something about that helped to settle Hades’ nerves. Perhaps because all of her earlier bravery was a bit intimidating. To see some show of vulnerability, well, was something closer to _normal_. It was something that Hades could deal with. After a moment she loosened her grip on him and seemed to relax somewhat. “You can keep going,” she said. Hades shook his head.

“Let’s stay like this for a while,” he urged, reaching out with his empty hand to stroke his thumb along her cheek. “There’s no need to rush. Let’s skip classes for today and just--” He paused when she fixed him with a confused look.

“It’s Saturday. There aren’t any classes today.”

“...So it is.” Which meant that he could sleep in. That he could sleep in with Persephone curled up next to him, soft and warm and smelling of rain and flowers. Something about the idea filled Hades with a strange warmth and--

"You've got that silly look on your face again," she snarked. "Are you sure you've done this before?"

"Would you let me have a moment?" he pleaded, but his expression quickly shifted from exasperation to sly smugness. If she wanted to tease, well, two could play this game. "Let’s make a bet. If I can make you say my name you should let me…"

Hades leaned in and flicked his tongue across her lips, teasing a furious blush from the woman. “Wh-what!! I’m not… you… Hades!”

“Ha! I win already, and I haven’t even started!” He laughed against Persephone’s neck while she gripped at his shoulders in aggravation, until Hades drew back to look at her and… they stayed like that for a moment, just gazing at one another, neither sure of who made the first move but their mouths met and her arms wrapped around him to pull him closer. Hades kissed her deeply, pouring years of longing into his touch as he stroked a hand down her side, pausing only when she moved to cradle his head in her hands and part from him.

“Hades… go ahead,” she whispered. Her arms laced around him tightly as she did her best to relax in other ways, her hands trembling slightly where she held him. Hades stroked his fingers gently along the curve of her hip when he pushed in, nuzzling at her cheek while her warm exhale of breath stirred the hair covering his ear. He whispered gentle words of encouragement to her, telling her how lovely and brave and wonderful she was, while her fingernails pressed into his shoulders. Her breath came in soft pants as he stilled, pressing a soft kiss to her temple.

“Are you alright, ‘Seph?” he queried gently, leaning back to watch her. She nodded a bit quickly, but relaxed her hold on him somewhat.

“I’m… I’m OK,” she assured him, drawing a slow, deep breath. “You can... keep going.” She blinked when Hades shook his head.

“Here,” he said, taking her hand and guiding it between them. He smiled crookedly as her fingers brushed over the base of him, watching as her mouth dropped open slightly.

  
“Oh… you’re…” Hades shifted his weight and hugged her to him, grinning against her shoulder. 

“Yes, _now_ , I am.” 

“It’s… not so bad, I think…”

“ _Only_ ‘not so bad’?” he teased, though his own breathing had grown heavier. “You seem dazed.”

“I’m fine… Just very… filled,” she mumbled, absently running her fingers along his back. “It’s… a lot different from when I--” Persephone made some choked noise of embarrassment when her brain caught up to her mouth. Hades coughed as he fought back a fit of laughter in his delirium.

“Better to have the real thing?” he panted, burying his face into her neck. She would remember all of his taunting later, of course, but he’d worry about it then. He was relishing her reactions far too much to be bothered by it now. 

“Don’t get full of yourself,” she grumbled.

“I think _you’re_ the one who’s full of me,” he couldn’t help slipping in, and winced when she nipped his shoulder. "Didn't expect you to be a biter," he purred, earning him a huff of exasperation. 

"Are you going to taunt me all night, or are you going t… to…." Hades grinned widely as Persephone lost her steam, her blush returning. 

"Unable to finish that sentence?" Though her words had their intended effect, whether Hades realized it or not. "Alright," he murmured against her ear, "I'll give you what you want."

She gasped when he moved at last, slowly withdrawing his hips. As she closed her eyes and lolled her head back against the pillows Hades found the very scene from last night's fantasy playing out before his eyes, her long hair fanned out on his bed. He twisted his fingers into the sheets as he eased back into her, groaning at the way her wet heat clenched around him. His desire to ravish her was burning him from within, but he kept his pace slow and deliberate, easing her into the sensations of being so stretched and filled by him, over and over again. Persephone watched him through lust-glazed eyes as he flexed his hips into her, running her hands along his chest and stomach. 

"It feels… it feels good," she sighed, "this… type of closeness…"

"Let me make it better," Hades urged. He ran the palm of one hand along her side, tracing the flat of her stomach down to her core, and swept his thumb over her swollen clit. She shuddered in response, mouth falling open in a silent cry of pleasure.

"Oh… wow, do that again," she pleaded, scraping the tips of her nails against his skin. Hades obliged and delighted in the way that Persephone shivered under his touch, how she latched onto him as he continued to stimulate the nub at her center. “Ah, Hades--”

“You said my name again--”

“Shut up! You can be more rough,” she panted, “I won’t break.”

“You might be sore later…”

“Ohhh, I don’t care!” she whined, gripping at his shoulders. “I’ve wanted to be with you for so long and _finally I_ _am_ but I’m going to _die_ if you don’t _fuck me_!”

Hades utterly and completely _broke_ . All of the carnal lust he’d been holding back since she stuffed those -- those beautiful, _blessed_ \-- flowers into his face came flooding back in waves, his blood boiling and his breath becoming shallow. The sight of his beloved Persephone sprawled out beneath him, flushed and panting with desire while impaled to the hilt on his cock drove any remaining clarity from his mind. He grabbed her by the hips and shifted their angle to allow him deeper access before hooking the backs of her knees over his arms and pushing her legs higher. “Scream for me, then,” he growled into her ear, and her eyes widened with shock as he withdrew only to slam back into her. 

“Ah--ahh!!” she cried out, digging her nails into his upper arms. She could draw blood and Hades wouldn’t care at this point. If she wanted him as fiercely as he wanted her then he would give her everything, his hips driving a relentless pace as he took out years of pent up desire on the woman below him. Her nails scraped along the smooth skin of his back, surely leaving welts while he stroked firm circles around her clit. She tried to buck against his hand, poor Persephone, she had no leverage in her current position. Left completely to Hades’ mercy, just as she had begged for.

“I know that you… can be louder than that,” he groaned, nipping at her collarbone. His hand fisted into the sheets by Persephone’s head where he braced his weight against one arm, stroking her desire while bottoming out on every thrust. She was positively writhing under him, her inner walls clenching and releasing around him as he pushed her further, continuously hitting that spot within that made her tremble.

“O-Ohh, stars above, _Hades_!!” she screamed, crying out with abandon as she let the pollen’s effects consume her entirely. “Please don’t stop, just don’t stop!”

“Ha… What’s wrong, ‘Seph…” he cackled smugly, grunting as he pushed again and again into her tightness. “Getting… close, are we?”

“I… _yes_ ! Ohh, please! Hades, please let me…!!” she wailed, twisting and squirming and clawing as she cried out for release. “By the Star you’re so… ohh! You’re so _turgid_ , Hades!”

“Y-you like that??” he sputtered, nearly coming undone in fits of laughter. If it weren’t for the tide of testosterone and euphoria driving him along, he would have lost his wits for certain. “You like my hard, _turgid_ cock inside of you?” Oh someone help him, he was going to die later on. 

“Yes! I’m--oh, I’m--oh _Hades_ !!” she nearly sobbed out. He grit his teeth together as she shuddered in release, her nails biting into his shoulders while her inner walls clenched down on him. Persephone was practically shaking against him in the throes of her orgasm, sucking in deep breaths of air when she finally dropped back against the pillows. He wasn’t far behind her, not after _that_ . Some analytical part of Hades’ brain tried to convince him that simultaneous release was only a myth, but the surge of oxytocin through his blood assured him that he was about to come, _hard_.

He had enough presence of mind to pull out, _not inside, not her first time_ , before his own release tore through him. Hades gripped himself as he released jets of hot seed across her stomach, crying out for his sweet Persephone before his breath was stolen away. He faltered, weak-kneed, but managed to brace himself on his hands before collapsing atop of her, his lungs feeling oxygen-starved as he slowly came down from his high. 

Persephone was gorgeous in her afterglow, with her hair spread out in soft waves around her, and her hands resting against the pillows. She pursed her lips at him with some unspoken question, and all he could think to do was laugh a bit and say, “see darling, _now_ we have made a mess of my sheets.” 

“That’s not the only mess we’ve made,” she grumbled, tracing her fingers through his release. She held her hand up and studied the way it clung to her fingers in sticky strands, before absentmindedly bringing it to her mouth and giving it a testing flick of her tongue. Hades twitched with overstimulation as he felt like he might spill for a second time on the spot. 

“It’s… a bit sweet?” she asked, puzzled. No, no, he was going to die if she went any further tonight. 

“D-don’t--!!” Hades stammered, searching hastily for his discarded shirt. He found it somewhere among the rumpled bedding and grabbed her by the wrist, quick to wipe her fingers clean before attending to the viscous substance spread across her stomach. Some semblance of humiliation crept into him as he dabbed at Persephone’s own wetness that clung to her inner thighs, though the woman herself seemed… over it.

“So we… did that,” she said, with minimal hesitation. 

“Yes, about that,” Hades coughed lightly, “when you can’t _walk straight_ tomorrow I don’t want to hear any complaints.”

“Huh? I feel fine,” she shrugged. Oh, poor thing. Poor, sweet thing. “I feel… _great_ , even.”

“Is that right,” he laughed, knowing that it would be a different story in the morning.

“I was finally able to tell you how I feel,” she said, giving him one of the sweetest smiles he’d ever seen cross her lips. “And it only took some weird sex flower to do it.” 

That… stunned him. He parted his lips to reply, but the adoration in her gaze softened to concern, and that tugged at something in his chest. “What’s the matter?”

“Did you mean what you said earlier, Hades?” she asked, chewing on one of her nails in thought. “That you… wanted to keep me?”

He wasn’t sure where he discarded his shirt to, only knowing that he needed to take Persephone into his arms and not let her go. Not without a struggle, at least. “Every word of it,” he managed to say, crawling up beside her to pull her close. Hades leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her lips, gave it a thought, and tilted his head to growl into her ear.

“I’ve seen the way that _boy_ in your Advanced Concepts class looks at you,” he snarled. “Tell him to stay away. Tell him that you’re _mine_.”

Her laughter was delicate and filled him with warmth, until he felt her shiver pleasantly against him.

“Hades is that…” She shivered again, and when he looked into her face he was stunned to find tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

“Persephone?” he asked, his own eyes wide with concern. She wiped a hand across her face and smiled at him again, and this time goosebumps crept along his own flesh as _something_ brushed against him.

“You didn’t realize?” she laughed, reaching out to stroke his cheek. “I can feel your aether, Hades. Is this… how you really feel?”

He then recognized the pleasant sensation that circled around him for what it was, Persephone’s own essence blanketing him in her warmth. He didn’t realize that he had reached out to her in such a way, but he knew the depth of his feelings for her. And what she returned was…

“Yes,” he sighed into her hair. “A thousand, _thousand_ times, yes. Just say you’ll be mine.”

“Oh, Hades. We’ve been together since _forever_. That won’t change. Well, except we can have sex now.” Oh, Persephone. Always glass-half-full. And so adept at killing a good moment. “What time is it?” She just kept on going. 

“Incredibly late. Well past your bedtime,” Hades huffed. “But first things first. Go wash off and I shall take care of this mess.”

She kissed his cheek and slid off of the bed, and he nearly doubled over in laughter when she wobbled and fell into the wall. “Having some trouble, my darling?” 

“...No, be quiet,” she hissed, but from the way she walked toward the washroom he knew that he would be getting an earful later. It didn’t matter, he thought. He could get used to this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, JanuaryBlue, for throwing me a bone about the "turgid" line. Hee hee. Bone.
> 
> If you are a writer and/or enjoy FFXIV fics, come join a very friendly and enabling group: https://discord.gg/ftFnYbe
> 
> Find me on Twitter: @AzureSummoner


	3. Blossom (EX)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades and Persephone spend the day after in one another's company, before a revealing chat with Hythlodaeus.

The sun had long since risen by the time Hades cracked his eyes open. They watered when he yawned and his legs threatened to cramp when he stretched out, but it seemed that the ill effects from the flowers’ pollen had finally subsided. He debated rolling over and going back to sleep when soft noises reached his ears. Glancing aside, he found Persephone burrowed into the pillows and cocooned in a thick layer of blankets. Her lips moved, though she remained deep in slumber, and it dawned on Hades that she was babbling in her sleep. He found it terribly charming and resolved to watch her for a while, turning onto his side to face her. Twisting a lock of her hair between his fingers he contemplated the gentle rise and fall of the blankets, and the subtle way her eyelids twitched as she dreamed. She appeared completely at peace, and that was how he decided to leave her as his stomach protested in hunger. He realized that he hadn’t eaten since noon the day before, having entirely missed dinner last night and now breakfast this morning. 

Quietly as possible, Hades slid out of bed and found a pair of relaxed lounge pants and his dressing robe. The first thing in order was coffee. Strong coffee. And then he could see about food. Persephone would no doubt be famished whenever she decided to wake up, he should… A lopsided little smile spread across his lips and heat tinged his cheeks as he realized that he could make her a late breakfast. It was a mundane thing perhaps, but there was something about the idea of happy domesticity with her that sent his heart fluttering. May the Star itself help him. She was going to be his ruin.

\-------------------------------

At least half an hour had passed before Persephone stumbled out of the bedroom, lured by the smell of food, as he had expected. Hades watched her over the rim of his mug as she rubbed her eyes and blinked, unfocused, until her gaze settled on the coffee pot. She’d found one of his casual long-sleeved shirts to slip into, the material oversized on her slender frame and hanging down to her thighs. Hades decided that it was incredibly appealing. He continued to watch as she moved about his kitchen with the ease of someone who had been there at least a thousand times before, digging in the cabinets for her favorite mug, muttering that he was out of sugar, whining when she drank too quickly and burned her tongue. 

She gradually settled her sights on the covered plate set at the empty seat across from him and wandered over to investigate. “You made me breakfast?” she asked as she lifted the cover. His offering was humble perhaps, but Hades had made sure to include her favorite staples. Persephone’s eyes seemed to wobble. It was hardly the first time he’d offered her food, but it  _ was _ the first time he’d fed her after… well… 

“Breakfast past two in the afternoon, yes,” he deadpanned, taking another sip from his mug. “It's nothing special, but--" Hades didn't need to look under the table when she sat down to know that she was kicking her feet back and forth like a delighted child. “You’re cheerful,” he noted.

“Aren’t I always?” she asked, stuffing her mouth.

“OK. You’re  _ especially _ cheerful today,” he corrected himself.

“I came twice  _ and _ you made me breakfast. I think that’s a great reason to be cheerful,” she insisted, forking another mouthful.

“Is that so?” Hades arched his eyebrows as her breakfast quickly disappeared from its plate. “And how are you feeling? Walking a bit funny?” he smirked into his mug.

“I--I’m  _ fine _ , thank you,” she frowned, staring into gleaming gold as she stabbed her utensil down into an empty plate. She ignored Hades’ snort and muttered under her breath, “it’s not that bad…”

Persephone glanced back across the table, chewing on her lip as she looked over his mussed snowy hair, the way his robe hung open to expose his collarbone and chest, back up to the glint of amusement in his bright eyes. “What are you thinking, my dear?” he asked, the corner of his lips twitching with mirth.

“I’ll need to go back to the labs today,” she sighed, poking her lower lip out in a pout. “Since my concept didn’t work out--”

“I wouldn’t say that--”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “I’ll need to make up the work.  _ Without _ distractions, this time.” 

“Hmm. I  _ did _ promise to meet with Hythlodaeus, later,” Hades mused.

“Oh.” Persephone covered her mouth to stifle a giggle, her cheeks turning pink. “He’s going to know.” She blinked as Hades coughed.

“No he won’t.” Oh, yes he would. Hythlodaeus would know the truth. He always did, damn the man. It was fine. He knew well enough about Hades’ pining after Persephone, so if anything, he should be happy for them. Then he would rub it in, with the  _ I told you so _ ’s and  _ it’s about time _ and… Hades rolled his eyes skyward as he imagined the conversation they would have. “Are you going home tonight?”

“Did you want me to stay?” Persephone asked, blinking in bemusement. Perhaps it was a bit soon to bring up his happy little daydreams of living together. 

Yes. Stay. “Only if you want to,” he mumbled, glancing aside to avoid the growing smile on her face.

“Are you going to miss me, Hades?” she questioned a bit too gleefully, practically launching herself across the small table. He raised his eyes from his mug to stare at her. What a silly question (of course he was). “I don’t have to leave just yet, you know.” Persephone fixed him with a look that was suddenly serious.

“Let’s do it again.”

Hades slammed his mug down onto the table, not caring about the coffee that sloshed out over his hand. "You want more of my  _ turgid _ cock, huh?"

Her confidence immediately shifted to horrified embarrassment and her eyebrows practically lifted off of her forehead. "Wha--I-I was hoping you had forgotten about that!!" she nearly screamed, flailing about. 

"Oh ho,  _ no _ my darling, I won't forget about  _ that _ anytime soon," he cackled, pushing his chair back from the table with a resounding scrape against the tiled floor. Persephone covered her face and tried to shrink away as he circled his arms around her and pressed a soothing kiss to her temple. “Come on, I’m only teasing.”

“You’re awful,” she grumbled, peeking at him from between her fingers, though she soon relaxed under the press of his body against hers. Dropping her hands to his shoulders, she traced her fingers over the silk of his robe in no discernible pattern while shyly averting her eyes, the hint of a little smile on her lips. “You’re also terribly sweet,” she managed to get out. It was Hades’ turn to turn red.

“W-what makes you say that?” he stammered, feeling something knot in his chest. 

“Well, you’re… affectionate, whether you realize it or not,” she continued, lightly stroking his collarbone. “And it… makes me happy.” 

“Fortunately, no one would ever believe you,” Hades smirked, deriving some amusement from the idea of Persephone attempting to convince anyone else of his alleged ‘softer side’.

“No one else needs to. Let me keep this side of you to myself,” she hummed, edging up on her tip-toes to press her lips to his. Hades ran his hands along her sides, sliding down the curve of her waist to the swell of her ass, finding the hem of his shirt where it hugged her hips and… 

“Mmph!” he groaned into her mouth, breaking away with a gasp. “I see that my shirt is the  _ only _ thing you’re wearing.” 

“Wow, that um… had an effect,” Persephone laughed, mumbling something about his sudden stiffness pressing into her stomach. She slipped a hand between them, smiling at the hiss she teased from the man as she palmed his length through the thin material of his pants. What a brazen little thing she was quickly becoming. Hades decided that he would need to knock her down a notch.

“Eager, are we?” He raised a hand in his signature fashion and  _ snapped _ , the used plates and cutlery disappearing from sight. “Though I believe it’s customary to offer dessert after coffee.” Breaking his embrace around the woman before him, Hades took Persephone by the hand and pulled her into the kitchen.

“I’m not really hungry,” she protested, sounding a bit confused until the taller man stopped and she bumped into him. 

“Perhaps you’re not, but I may wish to partake,” Hades shrugged, grabbing her by the hips. “Well, up you go, my sweet.” 

The brunette squeaked as she was suddenly lifted and set upon the cool granite surface of the island countertop, grinning nervously at the way her partner leered at her. “You uh, have a kitchen kink, Hades?” she laughed somewhat anxiously. 

“It just so happens to suit my needs. Though  _ you _ might develop one before I’m done with you.”

“I-is that so?” Persephone stammered, pawing at Hades’ shoulders as he braced his hands to either side of her hips and leaned into her. 

“Mhm. Now, I believe that we made a little wager which you  _ lost _ ,” he asserted through a lecherous smile, narrowing his eyes in predatory fashion as the woman’s widened.

“A-ah, you really don’t have to…” she answered with a blush, noticeably squirming now. “I mean I don’t understand why… Do you  _ really _ want to?”

“Oh my dear, sweet Persephone,” Hades chuckled darkly. “I have a  _ very _ \--”

A firm kiss pressed to her lips. “-- _ long _ \--”

A nip at her earlobe. “-- _ list _ of things I intend to do to you. I suggest you search for that bravery you were so full of earlier.”

“Um…” she blushed even harder, “but Hades! Your uh, your counters--”

“Easily cleaned, my darling,” he deflected, his aurum eyes shining. “If you  _ really _ don’t like it, I’ll stop… though I don’t believe that will be the case. Now be a dear and spread your legs for me.”

His lascivious smile widened as Persephone shyly, hesitantly widened the gap between her knees for him to settle into, and he leaned further in at the invitation, whispering against her lips what a good girl she was. Hades claimed her mouth, slipping his tongue past her soft lips while grinding his hardness against her core, drinking down the soft sighs that escaped her. A wicked idea settled between his ears, and Hades thrilled at his own depravity. Wouldn't it be a delight to pleasure his sweet Persephone again and again until she was reduced to a boneless mess? Too exhausted to bother with her research, he would leave her sleeping deeply in his bed while he met with Hythlodaeus, and she would be waiting for him upon his return. Probably best not to share this idea aloud, but he did have several hours to fill before meeting his friend. 

No. He’d already distracted Persephone from her work once, and this was important to her. Plus, she would absolutely kill him. That didn’t mean he couldn’t invite her back to stay the night and spend all of his Sunday tormenting her.

With her slender fingers threaded through his hair Hades was loathe to part from her, but as her hands began to wander they found the scratches she’d left along his neck and back and that pulled a hiss from him, prompting Persephone to draw back.

“Are you alright?” she asked, staring up at him in worry. 

“Nothing to fret over,” he reassured her. “You seem to have left your mark on me.”

She puzzled over this a moment until she caught on to his meaning, and then she was frantically pulling at his robes, trying to get a look at his blemished skin. “Oh, Hades! I-I’m so sorry--”

“Don’t be,” he laughed, tilting his head toward her neck. “I’m certainly not. In fact, I may 'accidentally' let my hood down in public so that your would-be admirers--"

"Don't you dare!" Persephone protested, grabbing fistfuls of his robe. "Or are you jealous, Hades?"

"Jealous?" He blinked, the corners of his mouth curling in a sneer, voice dipping low. "Remind me who you were screaming for in your fits of lust, my dear. Who was it you imagined sliding their cock between your thighs while you dripped wet with desire in  _ my _ bed?"

Her shocked gasp turned into an indecent moan when Hades reached between her legs to stroke at her glistening pink slit. "Ohh,  _ Persephone…"  _ he breathed hotly into her ear, "you're already making  _ such a mess _ of my counter." He took great pleasure in her embarrassed whimper and the way she shivered against him, and resolved to find out at some later time if he could drive her to completion from his words alone. But there was an unfulfilled objective that he meant to see to, one he had delayed for long enough. 

"Leave this on," he ordered, thumbing the hem of his shirt on her before sliding the material up her hips to leave her exposed and vulnerable to him. She was mumbling incoherently as Hades lowered himself between her thighs, a poor attempt to dissuade him from his task. Any chance of success was lost the moment he spread her folds and found her already wet and wanting, and without hesitation he closed his eyes and dragged the flat of his tongue along the length of her sex. So sweet in his mouth with a faint note of citrus, Hades traced another broad, languid stroke up to the swell of her clit, taking the delicate nub between his lips to lick and suck as Persephone’s fingers clawed uselessly at the countertop, her head tilted back as she wailed in pleasure. Accuse him of jealousy, would she? He’d see to it that she never had eyes for any other, though if she didn’t stop her squirming...

The woman squealed in surprise, falling back onto her elbows as Hades grabbed her hips and pulled her closer. She was forced to draw her knees up and brace the flats of her feet against the counter’s edge to retain some semblance of balance, which unintentionally granted her lover a better vantage. He resettled himself with his hands wrapped around her thighs, catching Persephone’s eyes before he flicked his tongue out to lap at her apex. Her cheeks darkened beautifully as she averted her gaze in what Hades knew to be false modesty, if the rise and fall of her chest and the babbled words spilling from her lips were any indication. 

“ _Ha~des_ _please_ ,” she whined, drawing a pleased hum from the man as she caved into her body’s urges and bucked her hips against his mouth, “please… put yourself inside of me already!” Her begging sent a pulse of need straight to his core, but he would see her unravel at least once before giving in to her pleas… which wouldn’t be long, given her inexperience. Though he could delay her release _and_ pay her back for the earlier offense all at once, he mused.

“ _ No _ . I am going to take my time with you, dear. So delicious and  _ moist _ \--” It had exactly the intended effect as Persephone attempted to clamp her thighs closed around him, Hades cackling in delight at her humiliation. 

"Hades!!" she growled, unable to do much else in her current position. 

"What's the matter, 'Seph? Turnabout  _ is _ fair play," he laughed, his golden eyes glinting with mischief. He released his grip on one of her thighs to trace a finger through her slick, his grin widening as Persephone's complaints faded to soft breaths, the woman relaxing once more in his hold. "There's a good girl," he soothed. "Now let's return to my question, shall we?"

"Wh--wha~at question?" she gasped out, her cheeks rose-colored with lust. A groan of frustration escaped her as Hades continued to stoke her arousal, teasing the tip of his finger along her entrance. 

"Who were you fantasizing about in your delirium, my darling?" he leered, breathing hot against her sex before sucking the sensitive skin between his lips. 

“Haaades you’re so… oohhh…  _ jealous _ ,” she teased, letting herself relax flat against the counter top while Hades kissed and licked and sucked at her clit. Her hands refused to remain idle, one reaching down to stroke his silvery downy hair while the other cupped her own supple breast through the thin shirt. “If I couldn’t have Hades… I wondered if Hythlo--oohhh!!” she squealed as the man between her legs slipped his forefinger inside of her, and ever so gently nibbled the pearl at her center. She scratched at his scalp with her nails, but a pleased hum was her only reward.

“Ah… I wondered,” she sighed, “when Hades looked at other women… if he knew that I wanted to warm his bed… or that my mouth was just as sweet…”  _ Damn her _ , Hades thought with a low, rumbling moan. She was doing this on purpose now! “I wanted Hades to hold me… and feel how warm and soft I am ins--”

Persephone squeaked as she was grabbed around the waist and hauled into a sitting position, crushed against the lean muscles of Hades’ chest as he buried his face into her neck. “You  _ tease _ ,” he huffed, “if I had  _ known _ earlier there wouldn’t have  _ been _ any other women.” No, no. There had been a little too much emotion behind those words, and Hades cursed himself for it. Persephone had certainly noticed, given how still she’d become.  _ What a fool you are, Hades-- _ he thought -- _ you’ve had her for ONE DAY and you’ve already scared her off, and now... _

Hades blinked when she snuggled closer, if possible, and rested her head against his. “I’m sorry for being such a dummy,” she whispered, but there was no tone of accusation or remorse. She was… happy? As if in answer, Hades felt her aether press against his in an embrace, filling in the emotions that Persephone couldn’t define in words. Warmth. Wanting. And...

“I really am an idiot,” he mumbled, more to himself. He relaxed his hold to give Persephone some breathing space, but she seized the opportunity to take him by the shoulders and force him to look at her. 

“Oh, don’t say that,” she sighed, combing her nimble fingers through his silken hair. “We’re both idiots, but we have each other now, right? And besides,” she leaned in to whisper in a sultry tone, “I found the lotion in your nightstand, Hades, and I bet I know  _ exactly _ who you were thinking about you naughty,  _ naughty _ boy.”

“Wh-wha--wait! You went through my things?” Hades sputtered, only to do a double-take as another question came to mind. “ _ What _ were you hoping to find??”

“Don’t worry about that!” came her rushed response. “The point is,  _ that _ is exactly why my concept went so awry. It was only supposed to nurture existing feelings of affection,  _ not _ turn people into sex fiends.”

“In other words--”

“I caused the initial error in my…  _ distraction _ , and  _ you _ reacted so strongly because of your… well… very  _ base _ desires.”

Hades furrowed his brows at the obvious conclusion. “Which would mean that  _ you _ also--”

“Well now, you have an answer to your question, don’t you?” she said through a sheepish grin. Hades watched as that smile turned devious, and Persephone began to wiggle about. “Can we… Can I have it now?”

“Can you have… what, you want my  _ dick _ ? You want me to put my dick in you?” he half-snorted, answered by her enthusiastic nod. “No.” She wilted. 

“Don’t sulk,” Hades grumbled, his hands gliding over Persephone’s inner thighs while he trailed heated kisses along her neck. “Believe me, my dear, I would  _ love _ to bend you over this counter and squeeze your plush little bottom while fucking you  _ senseless _ \--” her delighted squeal of anticipation left Hades searing with desire, “--but you are  _ over eager _ . If you insist on rushing this you will be quite sore for it, later.”

“But I feel  _ fine _ after last night!” Persephone insisted, puffing her cheeks out at him. Hades smirked and pressed his fingers against either side of her face, forcing her to blow the air out. 

“Then  _ humor _ me,” he taunted, his voice dropping dangerously low. “Come for me once and I’ll let you sit on my cock for as long as you like.”

“That’s… all I have to do?” she asked. And though her shyness had manifested once more, she was already reaching between her thighs until Hades knocked her hand away.

“I think not,” he admonished, gazing deep into her azure eyes. “You’re going to let me finish what I started. Now, where were we?” Any protests died the moment he cupped her sex, a slender finger easily sliding back into her wet opening. “There, that’s not so bad, is it dear?” he soothed, pressing along the top of her inner walls until he found the spot that made her shake. She kneaded his shoulders as he worked her from the inside, her eyes soon glazing over and her words coming in half-formed mumbles.   
  
“Mmnn… H-Hades,” she whimpered, digging her nails into his arm, “I can’t… I...”

“Not enough? I suppose you’ve been good,” he praised, easing a second slender finger into her velvet sheath while she whined with need. Despite their frantic love making in the night she was still so tight around him, and here the poor thing had felt she could rush things along. “Oh darling woman,” Hades cooed into her ear with a note of levity, “so sweet and naive…”

“I’m… mmm not naive…” she panted, resting her head against his shoulder.

“My apologies, I did not intend to be rude. Would a kiss make it better?” 

Persephone was already tilting her face towards him when he pulled back, his lips curved in a beguiling smile. “That’s not what I meant,” he teased, and knelt before the frazzled woman. She learned his intentions soon enough as he thrust his fingers deep into her wetness and sealed his lips to her clit, causing her thighs to spasm around him. She wouldn’t last much longer, Hades knew, and he had denied his own urges for  _ so long _ now. 

He traced circles around her sensitive bud with the tip of his tongue, eroding the last of her resolve until she had succumbed to his seduction. Persephone’s nails were sharp against his scalp but Hades was far beyond caring, he’d finally won her over and now she was pulling at his hair in her frenzy. “Ha-Hades if you… keep going like that I’ll…” she puffed out, her tongue practically hanging from her mouth as she gave the last of herself up to the pressure building in her core and shattered. Persephone wailed when she came, thighs tightening and toes curling as pleasure rippled through her, and Hades’ ego swelled as his cock jerked with need and demanded that he have her already. She gulped for breath while he licked her clean, the last traces of her nectar sweet on his tongue. 

When Hades had finished with her and stood the woman let herself flop limply against him, muttering breathless nonsense into his shoulder while drunk on pleasure. After a time the words became intelligible, to the effect of ‘insufferable’ and ‘Hades’, all in the same sentence. He would have gloated over his victory, but Persephone squeezed him through the thin fabric of his pants just then, reminding him of how  _ painfully hard _ he was. All that came out was a strangled grunt, and she snorted in satisfaction. 

"You're sure you're feeling alright?" Hades asked, and the moment she nodded he was fumbling with his pants until she reached out to stop him. 

"Somewhere more comfortable," she pleaded. Hades immediately pulled her to her feet and tugged her toward the living room, the desperation of his own lust coiling tight in his stomach. Persephone, his lovely Persephone, had already caught him by the waist of his trousers and loosed the drawstring that held them at his hips. Their hands groped clumsily as they both fought to divest him of his clothing, and Hades quickly gave up in favor of shrugging out of his robe before grabbing at the shirt Persephone wore, pulling it up and over her head. It briefly occurred to him that the curtains were drawn over the windows, else they may have given the neighbors quite a show. 

Hades kicked away the pants around his ankles, hauling Persephone with him as he fell back onto the stylish leather sofa. "Come here," he beckoned, his voice rough with need as he guided her to straddle his hips. She understood his lead well enough, and Hades quietly thanked the Star for the way Persephone’s soft breasts pressed against him as she kneeled into position, hovering just above his lap. "I was… so rough with you last night," he huffed, flexing his fingers along the flesh of her hips. "This way you can stop… if it's too much."

Persephone smiled sweetly, even while her eyes smouldered with arousal, and she stroked the back of her hand tenderly along his cheek. "Still worried about me? You're so darling, Hades…" she murmured, slotting her lips against his. He groaned when she parted too quickly, but an even needier sound rumbled from his chest as she reached between them to take him in hand. "I don't quite…" she laughed softly. "Um… help?"

Hades lazily opened his eyes and might have found humor in Persephone’s attempt if it weren't for his possessive need to fill her. "Like this…" he uttered quietly, guiding her to line his cock up with her entrance, and as the tip of him pressed in she began to sink down onto his length. Persephone braced herself against his shoulders, her open mouthed breaths mingling with his as she slowly took him inside, every bit as soft and warm as she had teased earlier. 

"Stars above, darling," he moaned, rendered motionless by the stretch of her and the way her inner muscles flexed against him. Hades’ arms crossed along Persephone’s back and he hugged her close as he became fully sheathed in her heat, his tongue prying to fill her mouth in the same manner that his cock filled her core. He kissed her for a long moment and only released her when his lungs began to burn, his chest heaving with labored breaths against her stiffened nipples as he continued to hold her tight. 

"Let me move," she soon whispered, taking his bottom lip between her teeth in a gentle tug. "Let me show you how I love you, dearest."

Amidst the dizzying pleasure was a spark of elation as those words passed so earnestly from his beloved's lips, and Hades wanted nothing more in that moment than to wrap Persephone up in himself and have her entirely -- her body, her soul, her love and adoration. They had always been meant for one another, and maybe stories of red threads and destined lovers weren't such nonsense after all he thought, letting his aether flow out to caress the edges of her own, a gentle friction of the most intimate way that he could touch her. Persephone had said that she loved him, and it was almost more than he could bear. His heart was pounding and his palms felt damp with sweat and his emotions were turbulent and ragged, years of bottled up affection now bleeding through their connection like an open wound. Persephone’s quiet gasp was thunderous in his ears as she shuddered and collapsed against him all at once, and then did Hades realize that he had overwhelmed the poor woman with a tidal wave of joy and affection and jealousy. 

“Hades… are you trying to kill me?” she groaned almost comically against his shoulder.

The only mercy, he decided, was that Persephone had her face buried too far into his skin to notice whatever new shade of red had been invented on the palette of his cheeks. He burned hotter than he ever had in his life, and he trembled slightly as he stuttered out some form of apology. 

“I… I’ve never--” he tried, stumbling over his words. “I…”

“You’ve never done that before, have you...” she replied in muffled sounds.

“...Who  _ else _ would I have done that with?” he asked, the words spilling out of his mouth before he realized what he had said. Persephone must have picked up on the implication. She was silent for a moment.

“...I think I’ll keep you…” she decided, “...but I  _ will _ pay you back ten-fold for this… once I can move...” 

“Ah… I should be able to do something about that, at least,” Hades murmured, adjusting the woman in his arms to a more comfortable position. He closed his eyes and extended his aether once more, this time as a soothing balm that tingled along Persephone’s skin and left goosebumps in its wake. A bit of his abundant life’s energy shared with her, warming and rejuvenating as it threaded with her own aether. 

“Hmm, you can do this sort of thing?” she wondered aloud, and nuzzled against his neck as her vitality returned. “This is why the professors let you get away with so much… you have so much potential, Hades.” He snorted in response.

“I hardly deserve your praise, my darling,” the man grumbled, glancing skyward, considering the whirlwind of events that had occurred since the day before. “I’ve been rather terrible to you, haven’t I?”

“I do recall something about being ‘ _ over eager _ ’, now that you mention it.” Persephone paused, then added, “you’re rolling your eyes at me, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am. You were in  _ such a rush _ to have your way, and look where it’s got you.”

“Yes.  _ Look where _ ,” she mocked, wiggling her hips to remind Hades that he was still rock hard inside of her. He hissed through his teeth at the renewed stimulation.

“Do you really want to continue?” he asked, soberly. “I should have... taken more time with you. I’ve hardly afforded you any of the romance or affection that you deserve.” 

Persephone huffed, her breath hot against his skin as she leaned back to look into his face. “I suppose. Considering that you are always the first to notice when I change my hair, find excuses to touch me, actually  _ look _ at me when I’m speaking, let me vent when I’m angry, feed me my favorite foods, walk me home, listen to my silly ideas, make time for me when you’re busy…” She frowned just slightly, which quickly shifted into a smile as she pressed her forehead to his. “You’ve always been affectionate with me. Forgive me for not realizing it sooner?”

Hades blinked, dumbly, as Persephone ticked off the myriad gestures that he was certainly guilty of. The things that came naturally when he was in her presence, they hadn’t been for naught. Even pitted against the grand signaling of his would-be rival, what was that damnable fool’s name… Theseus? No, that was the  _ other _ halfwit in that detestable twosome. Peri… Pritha… it didn’t matter. Hades imagined the look on the dullard’s face once he learned that Persephone was  _ his _ … though that man did have something of a reputation for being importunate. Well, if he couldn’t take a hint to stay away, Hades was sure that between he and Hythlodaeus they could--

“What are you smirking about?” his dearest woman inquired, her brows already furrowed in scrutiny.

“Never you mind,” Hades deflected, dragging his hands along Persephone’s sides to rest low on her hips. “Do you still intend to make for the Akadaemia this afternoon?”

“I  _ should _ ,” she maintained, wrinkling her nose at him. “I suppose I  _ could _ finish my work at the week’s start, but at the very least I intend to return home for a proper change of clothes.”

“Which infers that you mean to return?” Hades asked, attempting to curb the keenness of his tone.

“If you promise to make me breakfast in the afternoon again,” she replied with a mischievous grin. “Will you miss me for the short time that I’m away, my dearest Hades?”

“Grant me your favor now and I shall manage for a time,” he breathed, feeling the warmth of arousal sparking anew in his core. Persephone made only the slightest movement in his lap, but the gentle friction against his cock still buried so deep into her warmth was enough to rekindle his lust tenfold. He motioned for her to rise, to which she arched a brow in confusion, but followed his lead without further question. The very act of Persephone lifting up from his lap inadvertently caused her inner walls to clench down on his prick, drawing a sonorous moan from Hades' chest as he slid out of her with a lewd wet sound. He could tell by the flush of Persephone’s cheeks that she felt a renewed desire as keenly as he did.

"Here, sweetest…" Hades crooned, unwilling to let Persephone escape the cage of his arms, "lay back for me." He guided her to the flat of her back against the cool leather of the sofa. She willingly followed his lead, reaching to drag him down with her even as he shifted to kneel between her thighs, his hardness bobbing thick and heavy at his center. "Let me make love to you as I should have earlier," he murmured, taking himself in hand to guide his tip to her opening, easily sliding into the gentle stretch of muscle as she sighed below him. 

"There you are love, focus now on how I fill you. Let yourself feel every ilm of me," he whispered in a thick voice, flexing his hips to press into her tight passage one more, delicious wet friction gripping his cock like a vise as he sank further into her depths until his sack was rested against her bottom. 

"Mmnnh, Hades~" Bending her knees toward her shoulders Persephone appeared as if in offering all for his taking, and it would be rude to refuse such an invitation. The sweet lilt of her voice, punctuated by lustful moans and soft sighs as she readjusted to his penetration was like nails down his back, raking his urge to rut her, but not this time. Hades would have her slow and deep so that she might commit the feeling of him to memory, let her  _ know _ him so that she would miss the fill and stretch of his cock the next time she was lonely and pressing her fingers into her core,  _ pretending _ that it was him. 

"You’re doing so well my dear, tell me how you feel," he urged, carefully settling his weight over her, just enough to press the span of his body against hers. 

"So full…" Persephone sighed, sliding her arms around his neck. "So complete.  _ Stars above _ , you're so deep inside of me."

"Hmm," Hades hummed, contented, and pressed a kiss to her temple. "You fit me so perfectly, darling. Let me fall asleep inside of you like this, later…" he murmured, his eyes drifting shut as he trailed his lips along the soft curve of her jaw.

The slow withdrawal of his hips elicited a quiet whine from the woman, a sentiment that Hades shared as his cock cooled too quickly in the open air. But a gentle flex and he was easing back into her, soft and tight and wet and wanting. The texture of her core dragging along the tip of his length inside of her sent pleasant shivers down his spine, driving Hades to move again, slowly pulling out with the promise of filling her once more, accentuating each languid thrust with a firm press to reach as deep as he could. 

Hades groaned his pleasure as he sought Persephone’s mouth, sliding his tongue gently over hers in a mirror of his easy thrusting. Below him she blossomed, raising her hips to meet every push in, her earnest desire to have all of him caressing Hades’ soul in ways he never knew possible. With only a brief hesitation he let his aether flow to embrace Persephone once more, carefully controlled this time to prevent overwhelming her as he had earlier. Almost shyly, a delicate mingling of violet with the most indescribable shade of blue, gorgeous and unique and so distinctly  _ her _ . With a soul of such color he would never mistake any other for his dearest Persephone. No matter where she went throughout all of the Star he would always find his way to her by the color of her spirit. 

"Oh love, you're so good," she moaned into his mouth around her escalating whines of need. Her fingers tangled in his snow-white hair and Hades shivered as she sang his praises, how he was beautiful and so hard inside of her and the only one that she wanted. And then her aether responded to his, that beautiful blue which blanketed and filled in all of the spaces around him so completely. Hades knew that Persephone couldn't see herself the way that he did, but even with all of his gifts and potential he felt that he might never hold a candle to what she was capable of. To have her here and to feel her soul respond in kind to his was almost too much. He wouldn't last much longer. 

"Persephone, I can't…" Hades whispered, feeling the warmth flare in his face as he admitted, "I can't keep going like this…"

"Go ahead, Hades," she soothed, watching him with so much adoration. “I want to make you feel good.”

"Ohhh darling, you  _ already _ make me feel good but I can't just…" he laughed quietly, feeling rather sheepish. "Not before you…"

"Ladies first?" Persephone sighed contentedly. She lolled her head back and her dark hair curled around her. "Don’t worry Hades, if you keep going like this I'll…" And open-mouthed she arched her back as his thumb found her clit, gliding across the sensitized skin in steady circles. 

“Ladies first,” he repeated, breathing heavily, refusing to beg, “I need to feel you come, ‘Seph. I need--” He almost smirked, remembering from earlier what effect his words alone could have on her, and brushed the tip of his nose along her cheek as he bent to whisper into her ear, “won’t you be a good girl and come on my cock? Isn’t this what you wanted, my lovely Persephone, to have me hard and deep inside your tight little cunt while you--”

Persephone screamed as her face flushed pink and euphoric spasms wracked her body, leaving Hades to fight a losing battle as her inner walls clenched down on him. Her aether spiked and flared around them, dazzling with its’ inner light. Feeling her come undone had pushed Hades to his limit. He rasped something to her in warning as he moved to withdraw but Persephone hooked her legs around his waist, forcing him to stay while her arms locked in place around his back.

“Don’t you dare,” she purred, still lost in the haze of her aftermath. “Let me have  _ all _ of you, Hades. Oh, come inside of me, dearest!” she pleaded, and not for the first time her words managed to break him. He cried out for Persephone as he shuddered violently and spilled himself deep within her, hot and heady and desperate to fill her. His snowy bangs clung to his forehead with sweat and his muscles ached and he felt as if he might simply collapse on top of her and die a happy man, but he had the composure left to shift his weight just enough so that she didn’t meet an untimely end, crushed beneath some lovestruck fool. 

Time passed. Hades was shaken from his dozing by Persephone beating against him with one arm, complaining of pins and needles in the other from where he had fallen asleep on her limb. He dazedly stumbled over some sort of apology and was lifting his weight from her when he came to a realization, which birthed a stupid, giddy grin across his face.

“Hades, my arm is going to fall off if you don’t move!” the woman beneath him whined. “And what’s with that look?”

Persephone let out the most exasperated huff and rolled her sapphire eyes so hard that they nearly fell out of her head when he blushed and bashfully mumbled something about getting to fall asleep inside of her after all. There was no way that she would be visiting the Akadaemia now, but she  _ had _ resolved to return home for a time, and Hades supposed that she deserved a small break from the torment that he had made her endure since she had set foot in his apartment the evening before. He did still need to prepare to meet with Hythlodaeus. If Hades were to pass on the invitation, not only would he never hear the end of it, but that man was sure to come knocking in search of his companion. Wouldn’t Hyth be surprised when their dear mutual friend Persephone arrived on Hades’ doorstep with an overnight bag? 

Hades grumbled something to himself and finally moved, sliding out of his lover as gently as he could manage. A thought occurred to him as he extended a hand, pulling Persephone along to sit upright. Despite their incredibly unconventional venture into romance, it lacked the awkwardness that typically followed a first sexual encounter. Any relationship that Hades had attempted in the past, taking into consideration his half-hearted efforts, had left him feeling so  _ disconnected _ after the fact. But this… this was comfortable. It was new but felt familiar, it lacked tension, and to see Persephone relaxed and smiling filled Hades’ heart in such a way that he thought it might burst.

“I  _ do _ need to head home for a bit,” she spoke softly, idly twining her fingers with his. “But first I’m going to use your shower.”

“Use my soap as well,” Hades offered, “and if you happen upon that  _ vulgarian _ on your sojourn and he should ask why you smell of amber instead of a bouquet, you can tell him that you are returning from a sleepover at  _ my _ apartment. Better yet,  _ I _ shall see you home and we shall publicly engage in the most lewd behavior of  _ hand-holding _ .”

“I think I can manage to walk myself home this once,” Persephone muttered. She pressed a kiss to the back of Hades’ hand and stood from the sofa, turning to face him in all of her naked glory with long tangles of brown hair framing her silhouette. “Come to think of it, when you see Hythlodaeus please tell him that--” 

“What’s the matter?” asked Hades as her face paled. Persephone glanced down and suddenly squeezed her legs together and… Hades clamped a hand over his mouth to abstain from roaring in laughter at the look on her face as his seed trickled down her thighs. “Well,” he half-choked as he fought back a wave of amusement, “you  _ did _ beg me to finish inside.” 

“I--I didn’t know it came out??” she cried, wiggling about in distress while Hades shook with great sobbing hysterics, though he did stop long enough to summon a cloth to his hand and toss it toward the poor woman. 

“Oh, my  _ dear _ , a virgin no more yet still as pure and innocent,” he sighed, wiping away a tear. “I shall have to do a better job of corrupting you, I suppose.”

“Hades, I swear--!!” Persephone floundered, her pallor shifting to a rich tomato red while she dabbed at her thighs as delicately as possible. When she finally wobbled away to the washroom Hades collapsed into a heaving, convulsing, gleeful mess as he imagined how much fun loving Persephone would be. 

Even if he might have to start sleeping with one eye open.

\---------------------

Sometime later that afternoon Hades made his way to a small cafe where Hythlodaeus was waiting. 

“Well if it isn’t the man of the hour,” Hythlodaeus drawled, lifting his teacup in toast to the approaching robed figure. “And only five minutes past the appointed time.”

Hades grumbled some sort of acknowledgement as he pulled out a chair and dropped into the seat across the table from his lively companion. It seemed that Amaurot had in recent months been taken by storm with so-called ‘pop-up cafes’, and Hythlodaeus was determined that they would try every single one. Today’s flavor was -- Hades picked up the menu and sighed -- some manner of tea and sweets. It seemed that Hythlodaeus had already ordered, given the empty teacup being slid his way, and the silver platter of assorted scones and some manner of very colorful pastry.

“It’s called ‘fairy bread’,” the other man stated, performing the courtesy of pouring for his friend. The steaming liquid carried an interesting floral scent with a note of something fruity. Pomegranate? While Hades preferred a smooth coffee, tea was an acceptable substitute. He shook his head at the condiments offered, cream and sugar, and some sort of syrup. A testing sip ascertained that yes, the fruit note was pomegranate, and it was much sweeter than expected. It seemed the sort of concoction that--

“--Persephone?” Yes, that Persephone would enjoy. Wait, what had Hythlodaeus asked? 

“Come again?” Hades sputtered, glancing around but finding no trace of the woman. She should be well on her way home by now.

“I asked if you invited Persephone to join us,” Hythlodaeus repeated. 

“She’s been preoccupied with her studies. I thought it best not to bother her.”

“Oh, that’s a shame. She did mention a concept that she was working on for the Celebration of Eternal Bonding. Smart and sentimental, that one,” Hythlodaeus decided with a nod. “I have a cousin I’ve been meaning to introduce, if only I could get their schedules to align.”

Caught mid-sip, Hades spit the tea in his mouth back into the cup and coughed several times, prompting Hythlodaeus to leap halfway across the table.

“Hades, are you alright? Do I need to fetch you a toddler’s sipping cup?” 

“No!” the silver haired man growled, waving his friend off. “I swallowed wrong, I’m fine.” He coughed again.

“Thank the Star. What would I do without my platonic life partner?” came Hythlodaeus’s smart reply, smirk hidden behind a delicate teacup. 

“I’m rolling my eyes at you as hard as I can.”

“I know you are." Hythlodaeus grinned and set his cup down, leaning in to rest his chin on his hands. "Sooo, tomorrow is the opening of Selene's tour in Amaurot, and it just so happens that  _ I _ have acquired a pair of tickets. Won't you be my date, Hades?"

"Tomorrow? I… have outstanding plans, sorry Hyth," Hades said as smoothly as he could manage, thankful for the mask that hid the warmth he felt rising in his cheeks. 

" _ You _ have plans, on a  _ Sunday _ ?" Hythlodaeus tsk'ed at him. "Sleeping in all day doesn't count as--"

"Don't presume that I mean to while the day away in bed," came the clipped response. Even if it  _ was _ exactly what Hades intended to do. "I have a 'project' that needs attending before the weekend is out."

"Oh? Well that's a shame. I'll ask Persephone then--" Hythlodaeus tilted his head at his friend's abrupt gesturing, signaling that this too was out of the question. 

"She's busy. Helping me with my project work," Hades ground out, hastily stuffing a fruit-filled scone into his mouth. He scrunched up his nose at the tang of apricot, not a favorite. 

"How boring, Hades!" Hythlodaeus huffed dramatically, before a sly grin spread across his face. "Unless 'project' is a code word that means 'you're finally going to make a move on the poor girl'. Or shall I clear out my cousin’s schedule?” He took a sip from his cup. “Don’t glare at me.”

“I’m not glaring,” Hades spat.

“You act as if I don’t know you,” Hythlodaeus snarked. “Don’t forget that I’m on your side. Although...” 

“Although…?” Hades prompted.

“Your good friend Pirithous--”  _ THAT was the bastard’s name _ “--was looking for Persephone in the labs the other night. Did you happen to find her? She  _ did _ say that she wanted to show you her concept.”

In the labs… did that mean--?? Was it possible that the person who tried to open the locked door the night before could have been Pirithous? And that Hades had inadvertently missed the opportunity to rub it in the fool’s face that Persephone was  _ his _ , that--

“You’re thinking much too hard about this, Hades,” said Hythlodaeus in a mock judgemental tone. “I can see the smoke coming out of your ears.”

“What? Yes. Yes, I found her,” came Hades’ cobbled-together response. “I took her home afterwards.” He quickly lifted his teacup to sip and preoccupy his mouth before he said something else asinine. Hopefully Hythlodaeus hadn’t caught any double meaning to his words.

“Well, good. She had been so adamant about showing you her work,” the other man said, and nodded in satisfaction. “Did you allow her to test the concept on you?”

Hades blanched. “What for? I’m not soul bonded. It wouldn’t have affected me.”

“True enough, though, you know as well as I that this  _ is _ Persephone we’re talking about. And her concepts do sometimes need a bit of ironing out…” Hythlodaeus shrugged, and laughed with some memory of an experiment gone awry. “I guess if Pirithous  _ had _ shown up she could have used him as a test subject.”

The very idea made Hades frown, though he well remembered Persephone’s explanation of why her concept had turned out as it had. It was only because  _ Hades _ had been there. If it had been anyone else then things very likely would have turned out as anticipated in the first place. And Hades had only been late at the labs himself because Hythlodaeus had kept him behind…

“You’re glaring at me again,” the second man sighed. He nabbed the teapot to refill his cup.

“I’m not.”

“Yes, fine, you’re not. Anyhow, as  _ your _ best friend but also a faithful companion to our dear Persephone, I feel that I should say a few words. More tea?”

With a glance downward, Hades saw that he had emptied his cup. He grudgingly slid it aside for Hythlodaeus to pour another serving of the flowery brew. “A few words, hm?”

“Absolutely. My keen instinct tells me that you are planning a confession of sorts, isn’t that right, Hades?”

Perhaps this was an out, Hades considered. Hythlodaeus would figure things out quickly enough, but if Hades might avoid a rather damning conversation by allowing his friend to believe that he was plotting some grand confession of love on the morrow, well then, he simply wouldn’t tell him otherwise. He could later reveal his intentions to court Persephone as if it were due to some carefully staged event and not the fortunate consequence of an otherwise-failed experiment.

“I… suppose there is no deceiving you, Hyth,” Hades agreed, absently swirling the liquid in his teacup. “Yes. I have waited for an age and the woman is none the wiser to my advances. It’s time that I take a more direct approach.”

“Hmm, indeed,” Hythlodaeus nodded. “Then may I remind you that you must treat the matter with a certain degree of delicacy?”

What was this now? “Oh? Do tell me,” Hades urged.

“Well, you must consider that Persephone has never truly been…  _ involved _ with a partner. Much like a lovely spring flower that you are eager to pluck,” Hythlodaeus spoke, tilting his head toward Hades in a rather suggestive manner. “Uprooted too early she will never blossom into her full potential.” 

"Why not say what you mean, Hyth?" Hades regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth, but if his friend insisted on flower metaphors then--

"I mean that there are rules to this!" Hythlodaeus enounced. "You can't just rush in and--" he lapsed into gesticulating, searching for the words, "--and  _ deflower _ \--"

And  _ there it was _ . 

"--the poor thing! Come Monday I don't want to see my precious little girl wandering dazed and confused through the halls of the Akadaemia."

_ Well _ , Hades thought, reminiscing of how cock-starved his ' _ precious little girl _ ' had been,  _ you're in for a shock… _

"Eat a peach," Hythlodaeus insisted. 

"Excuse me?" 

"Scone. Try the peach, it's delicious."

Hades' gaze lingered suspiciously on the other man while he filched a pastry from the platter. "Yes," he concurred after a bite, monotone and unwavering, " they're quite good."

"Indeed. Well, I apologize for my abruptness but I  _ do _ wish to see you succeed, Hades," Hythlodaeus continued. "However, I believe you are in for an uphill climb.” He plucked a berry filled scone from the pile and dunked it into his tea several times, studied it, then popped it into his mouth. Hades’ lips curled in disgust.

“Whaffa mahber?” Hythlodaeus mumbled around the soggy biscuit.

“Would you not talk with your mouth full?” Hades rolled his entire head instead of merely his eyes. “I cannot determine whether you mean to encourage or to demoralize me. One moment you have given me your blessing, and the next you have lined up obstacles in my path. If you are against the match then I would have you speak freely.” 

“Dear me, not at all my friend!” Hythlodaeus sputtered in mock indignation. “Have I not been saying for an age that our dear Persephone is most certainly harboring similar affections?” He reached out to spin the platter of sweets on its axis, facing Hades with the multicolored concoction that he had called ‘fairy bread’. “Perhaps too sweet for your liking, but do give it a chance.”

Knowing that his companion wouldn’t relent until he had acquiesced, Hades tore off a corner of the sweet bread and pushed it past his lips. Bread, butter, and sugar. It would serve Hythlodaeus right if he had paid a premium for it.

“Now then,” the second man began, and slapped his palms down on the table. “Let us discuss the rules of seduction. Firstly--” 

“ _ Firstly _ ,” Hades interjected, “I’m not keen on any ‘rules’ set forth by  _ you _ .  _ Secondly _ , I’m glad that we agree on the objective.” 

“ _ Fiend _ !” gasped Hythlodaeus. “To openly admit your intentions like that--I am scandalized.”

“Good,” came the snorted response. Hades sipped at his tea only to realize that the drink had gone cold.

“Nevertheless, I’ll insist upon your best behavior. All things considered, I doubt that Persephone has even experienced the joy of love’s first kiss.”

Hades cringed. He knew exactly where Hythlodaeus would go with this. “This is a conversation that I don’t want to have.”

“Zephyr was certainly kind to her--”

“We are not discussing this.”

“--but he had no idea what to  _ do _ with a woman, either--”

“Why are you bringing this up?” While Zephyr was a fine enough person, Hades truly did not wish to remember that he had dated Persephone. However chaste and brief the affair had been. 

“What I am  _ saying _ , dear friend, is that you must take things slowly.” Hythlodaeus laced his fingers together and fluttered his amethyst eyes. “You cannot immediately attempt to shove your tongue down her throat.”

“What in creation is  _ wrong _ with you!?” Hades bleated, even though it  _ had _ been the first thing he had done under the pollen’s effects. 

“I imagine it will take several months of courtship, at the very  _ least _ , before you are in a position to make a gamble such as  _ kissing _ .”

“Thank the Star I have someone like you to guide me.”

“Hmm… And then,” Hythlodaeus’s hands went to his cheeks in a flirtatious gesture, “ _ only _ then, you might attempt such filthy behavior as to touch her at the waist.”

“Now  _ I _ am the one who is scandalized,” groused Hades.

“As you should be. Mayhaps I should accompany the pair of you as a chaperone for the first several years, to ensure that your hands do not wander any higher.” 

“What’s this about Hades needing a chaperone?” sounded a familiar, rankling voice. Hades grated his teeth together as he looked over his shoulder to find Pirithous approaching the table. “ _ Gentlemen _ ,” the third man greeted. He pulled a chair over from an empty table and invited himself to join them.

“Pirithous, always a pleasure,” Hythloadeus replied with a smile. 

Their guest made a show of scanning the area, then cocked his head in feigned confusion. “Strange to see the pair of you without your third wheel,” he mentioned. 

“Speaking of third wheels--”

“More tea, Hades?” Hythlodaeus offered, already refilling his cup.

“...Thank you.”

“I take it you didn’t find my precious flower in the labs last night?” asked Hythlodaeus, tilting his head toward Pirithous.

“No. Persephone wasn’t where you said she would be,” he replied, frowning. “There  _ was _ a room that was locked, but when I was able to enter--”

Hades banged his fist down on the table, splashing tea from his cup in the third man’s direction.

“Watch it!” he scowled. “What’s wrong with you?”

“The sound made by snapping is caused by the middle finger striking the palm,” Hades commented, stone faced.

“ _ WHAT?? _ ” Pirithous nearly screamed.

“Don’t mind him,” Hythlodaeus ushered with a wave. “So you’re into the habit of breaking and entering now?”

“Did I say ‘locked’? I meant to say ‘stuck’,” Pirithous backpedaled. It was impossible to miss the way that he side-eyed Hades. “You look like you need to unwind. Say, there’s a colleague of mine--you know, Minthe?”

“No.”

“Ha! Come on, Hades. I hear she’s really into you, and word is that she’s a real ‘nympho’  _ if you know what I mean _ .” 

“I’m sure that I don’t.”

Pirithous shook his head and turned to Hythlodaeus. “Do you hear this attitude? How do you put up with him?” He shrugged. “Well anyhow, I wasn’t able to find Persephone anywhere.”

“She was with me,” Hades offered. “She had become  _ overwhelmed _ with her latest concept, so I took her home.”

“Oh. Is that so?” Pirithous frowned. He appeared to be reaching for words, to insult, no doubt. “Frazzled from working and you didn’t think to invite her out this evening?”

“She  _ did _ have a rather late night,” Hades smirked, ignoring the look that Hythlodaeus cast toward him.

Pirithous parted his lips to reply when Hythlodaeus cut in with a boisterous laugh. “Scone??” he offered, shoving the plate toward the intermeddler. Pirithous looked entirely taken aback but gradually relented, his hand grazing above the pastries before his emerald eyes settled on one.   
  
“Ah! Is that…? Wonderful, I would love to eat a peach,” he replied cheerfully, until Hades’ quick fingers snatched the sweet from under his nose. “Hey! I wanted that!”

Hades’ lips twitched with the beginnings of a feral grin as his tongue flicked out to drag along the top of the biscuit. “I licked it. It’s  _ mine  _ now.”

Hythlodaeus stared at Hades a fraction too long before his gaze shifted to their guest. “Yes, well. Pirithous, unless you're interested in Hades' sloppy seconds I imagine that you've wasted too much of your time on us already."

The intruder nodded his head in agreement. "Indeed. I--" He was interrupted by the orgasmic groan from Hades, who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying his pastry.

"I do love peach," Hades spoke, suckling the tips of his fingers to greedily savor the last traces of flavor. "The feeling when you've enjoyed a perfect one--"

"Ah yes," Hythlodaeus concurred, "there's nothing like a nice, flavorful peach--"

"--so wet and juicy that it dribbles down your chin--"

"--mm, delicious as it melts down your throat--"

Pirithous was turning scarlet as the men traded off of one another with their obscenities. He at last sputtered some odd noise and clapped his hands together to break the tension. "Hythlodaeus, I believe you're right. I should be moving along," he said, having already pushed his chair out so that he could stand. "See you around the Akadaemia." 

"Fare thee well, then," Hythlodaeus tittered, waggling his fingers at the man in parting. Pirithous, however, lingered a moment. 

"If you should see Persephone--"

"Hm, I do believe she has a study date with you, Hades?" Hythlodaeus interrupted, helpfully. 

"Yes, I promised to show her a few things." Hades lifted his teacup, tilting it to study the liquid within. "You have a message?"

"...No, I… will catch up with her on the morrow."

"If the poor dear doesn't exhaust herself and sleep in," Hades remarked. "She does throw herself into her studies rather enthusiastically."

"..." Pirithous stood slack jawed, looking back and forth between the two men as if he knew that there were some inside joke that he was missing out on. Hythlodaeus smiled innocently while Hades grinned like the embodiment of sin. 

“You’re still here?” Hades asked after a moment, making a shooing motion with his hand. “Go on. I’m sure that Persephone will have much to discuss with you when next you see her.”

He didn’t miss the flash in Pirithous’s eyes, Hades’ own molten gold  _ daring _ the man to speak. But eventually Pirithous’s shoulders relaxed, and he tilted his head more in Hythlodaeus’s direction as he spoke a final “farewell” and at last sauntered off.

“An absolute pillock, that one,” Hades declared once the man was out of earshot, ignoring the roll of Hythloadeus’s eyes. 

“Now now, there’s no reason to be a sore winner,” the amethyst-eyed man lectured. “Not a very attractive quality.”

“He broke into a lab to get at Persephone,” came the growled response. “I shall act as sore as I want to.”

“Oh my dear Hades,  _ we _ shall most certainly do something about  _ that _ ,” promised Hythlodaeus with a mischievous grin. “But for now I’m rather curious about why you locked the door in the first place. It  _ is _ rather suspicious.”

“Why do you assume that it was  _ me _ ?” Hades rasped. He lifted his teacup to sip as a distraction, only to realize that the cup was once again empty. And of  _ course _ Hythlodaeus had noticed, flashing a victorious smile as if he knew that he’d backed his friend into a corner. “Look,” Hades sighed, “ _ Persephone _ locked the door. She didn’t want any distractions.”

His friend’s smile only widened. “Even though the biggest distraction was standing right next to her?” he chuckled, much to Hades’ annoyance.

“Perhaps we should address  _ your _ involvement in all of this, Hyth,” Hades decided, fixing the other man with a stare. “Who was it that baited me to stay after hours so that I would  _ be there _ in the first place, and then misdirected that thickheaded louse and his ill intentions?” 

Hythlodaeus looked left, then right, before clasping a hand dramatically to his chest as if to ask, ‘you would blame  _ me _ ’? “I take it that her concept became a bit…  _ confused _ ?”

Hades narrowed his eyes. “Foul schemer. You knew  _ exactly _ what would happen,” he accused.

“How would I?” asked Hythlodaeus, feigning defensiveness even as he laced his fingers together and leaned in like an old gossip. “Though if I had to make a guess, based on Persephone’s idea and the long-standing tension between you, tender confessions were exchanged after which you sweetly saw her home while obscenely holding hands.” He fluttered his eyes again. “I suppose I shall reveal my cards, given the plan’s success. You did come here with a very unique thread of blue twined through your aether this evening. There’s only  _ one _ person with a soul of that shade, and her essence clings to you like a fine perfume.” He sighed amorously, until he noticed the way that Hades’ eye was twitching. “...What? What’s with that look? ...Don’t tell me--”

“You complete  _ idiot _ \--” 

“Hades!?  _ What did you do _ \--??”

“You would have an easier time asking ‘what  _ didn’t _ I do’.”

“Oh, my sweet spring flower!” Hythlodaeus gasped. “How will I ever apologize?”

“I beg your pardon? Your  _ sweet spring flower _ was intent on having her way with me.” Hades rested his cheek against his open palm, but his irritation was losing out against the smug grin that was fighting to show on his lips.

“Dear, dear…” Hythlodaeus laughed nervously. “I knew that she was a bit ah… ‘frustrated’ with the lack of progression, but to think that… goodness.”

Hades balked. “You’re suggesting that she came to you in confidence?”

“Are you  _ dense _ , man? I have been playing go-between for the two of you for  _ years _ !” Hythlodaeus flung up his arms in frustration. “Listening to the both of you  _ pining _ for one another for  _ so damned long _ , while equally and infuriatingly  _ oblivious _ to the mutual attraction. I simply couldn’t stand it any longer!” 

"I suppose I am in your debt then," Hades acknowledged, reaching up to comb locks of his white bangs out of his eyes. “I shall have to repay you.”

“Yes. Yes you will,” Hythlodaeus agreed with a nod, before thinking better of it given the wicked look that Hades flashed at him. “On second thought, that’s quite alright. Consider it my ‘good deed’ for the century. Regardless, you must have made her quite happy given the way that her aether glows around you.”

The comment caught Hades off-guard and he couldn’t help the blush that crept up his neck to his cheeks. Burying the lower half of his face into his palm did little to hide his sudden bashfulness. 

“I’ll give it a month before the two of you are living together,” sighed Hythlodaeus, glancing skyward. “That is, if you haven’t already made designs on it.”

Hades’ continued silence was telling.

“Hmm… You know that Pirithous will attempt to sabotage you when he finds out,” Hythlodaeus warned, though he was already grinning.

“I look forward to humiliating him.”

“You’re so petty, Hades,” his friend laughed. “Which doesn’t say much for me, since I suppose I will be there when his bosom buddy Theseus attempts to intervene.”

“More's the pity for them.” Hades’ eyes flicked over to the now emptied silver platter, and the teapot that had long since run dry. 

“I suppose that we’ve lingered for long enough,” said Hythlodaeus, catching the underlying meaning. “And I assume that you need to be getting home to greet your company.”

Hades attempted to ignore the knowing smile on the other man’s face, but there was little point in denying it. “...She does have a key, but yes. I…” He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

“Don’t thank me. If you upset her I’ll be the first one on hand to assist with burying your body,” Hythlodaeus assured him, rising from the table. “Go on now, go enjoy your… ‘ _ studies _ ’.” 

“...Fine. See you tomorrow, then,” Hades relented, both men knowing to tack an unspoken  _ ‘maybe’ _ to the end of that sentence.

He waved to Hythlodaeus in farewell and watched the man’s back for sometime until he disappeared into the crowd of civilians somewhere down the street, scowling at the thought that it had taken a direct intervention by  _ him _ of all people to bring about a happy resolution with Persephone. Hythlodaeus was  _ never _ going to let him hear the end of it. Hades would be certain to repay him, in his own fashion, but that was something to consider on another night. For now he needed to return home, where his dearest Persephone waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then he becomes Red String Hades. Isn't life grand? :D
> 
> If you are a writer and/or enjoy FFXIV fics, come join a very friendly and enabling group: https://discord.gg/ftFnYbe
> 
> Find me on Twitter: @AzureSummoner

**Author's Note:**

> If you are a writer and/or enjoy FFXIV fics, come join a very friendly and enabling group: https://discord.gg/ftFnYbe


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